White Lotus
by ishxallxgood
Summary: Who is this girl that has the ability to chase away his illusions and help him find peace. Kanda fic featuring an OC. Story begins two years before the start of the manga. Almost all other characters will have a cameo of some sort. Please R&R and let me know if Kanda's character is believable. Thanks.
1. Renge

Hello there, this is my first time with an OC, because honestly I don't like OC's... buuuut this being a Kanda fic, it almost required an OC as there really is no one good to pair him with in the DGM universe. I am quite adverse to the Allen pairing because it's crack and batshit crazy. Anyway, if you do choose to read this (please do, I like to believe it's good ;D) let me know what you think, this chapter really is just the introduction to the OC. Thanks for checking this out and giving it a try.

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It had been a year and a half since she last stepped foot in Headquarters and the place was just as she had remembered it. Dark, gloomy yet somehow warm and inviting, eerily quiet yet strangely chaotic at the same time, the whole place just seemed like a huge juxtaposition. It always amused her whenever she came by, there always seemed to be mysteries to unveil here, and unlike the dark secrets of the Asian Branch she grew up at, the adventures here always seemed so much more light hearted. Yet despite all the fun and games, puzzles and solutions, there was always that one mystery she was never able to unravel. The one which started it all, so very long ago, in a place so very far away, yet it always seemed to follow her, taunt her, and emerge every now and then, throwing her into a constant state of unrest. It was the the one thing she needed answers for, and if she could just find him, then everything, all those heinous secrets she had unearthed surrounding this place could be forgiven.

A long time ago, or it seemed like a long time ago, though when you are sixteen, ten years is a long time, she spent a considerable amount of time at the Asia branch. It was there where she learned almost everything she knows now, and it was there where she encountered the one thing, or rather person, that would gnaw at her soul for seven long years. The funny thing about that whole situation for her was the fact that no one seems to remember seeing that boy, it was as if she had made the whole thing up, yet something deep inside her told her that it was not so. No, it happened, or at least she still believes it happened, otherwise why would he still haunt her dreams? Seven years is a long time to hold onto something, although she learned within the first few weeks to stop asking about him, she never stopped searching. It was that search that spurred her discovery of those dark hidden secrets, of those long forgotten rooms and bloody walls.

Although the Asia branch was a vast place, a deep cavern woven into the earth, full of lost staircases and forgotten turns, she explored every path, every tunnel. Whenever she found herself lost within those twisted hallways and unfamiliar nooks, something inside her always seemed to guide her out. Oh the atrocities she uncovered in that godforsaken place she once called home. That was the thing that always bothered her about the Black Order, they were supposed to be on God's side, on the right side, the light side, but to her the very name of the Order exposed it true core; black. It used to infuriate her, the darkness she discovered behind those tightly sealed doors, but now she believes she is finally starting to see the light, or at the very least the different shades of gray.

Her father would always tell her that not everything was black or white, not people, nor events, and especially not something as massive as the Black Order. There were simply too many moving parts, too many different ambitions and personalities, and that humans always found a way to pervert the purest of intentions. He had once told her that the one thing she had to remember when dealing with the Order was that no one could be trusted, and that she should always stay true to the mission and always mind the war. The mission; innocence. What a joke. If innocence was supposed to be God's will, the one thing that can save mankind from the Earl of the Millennium and his army of Akuma, then why in God's name did it prompt people to do such despicable things? It is no wonder there is a war raging around them, humans doing deplorable things just to advance their own selfish desires.

She sighed, thinking about these things always put a damper on her mood, she needed to think of bright, happy things, like black sesame mochi or green tea ice cream. For a moment she considered taking a detour to the cafeteria prior to checking in, but the thought quickly passed, and she turned off toward the Branch Head's office. The sooner she checked in the sooner she could start her experiment, or rather build her contraption, the sooner she could be done with it. If the stupid thing did not take so long to incubate she would hold off until morning, but alas no, a ten day incubation was a must for the cells to fuse properly and she was not looking forward to staying that long.

A younger version of herself would have been delighted and found some new room to discover or some new mystery to unravel, but the current Renge did not desire such things. The magic had been lost over the years, although the incessant nagging to continue her quest to find that boy, that mirage who dissipated as soon as she saw it, continued to plague her mind. It was weird, she had not actively thought about him for years, but for some inexplicable reason, the moment she stepped off the boat that afternoon, she could not shake the urge to find him again. The whole notion of finding this mystery boy seemed slightly preposterous to her now, true, his very being consumed her soul, but she only really saw him once. Once, seven years ago, god knows what he looks like now, or even how he looked like then, she had only really caught a glimpse, while behind a wall, fifty yards away. The boy who haunted her dreams was just a blur, but those feelings, that insatiable desire to touch him, to know him, gnawed at her core, convincing her he was real.

Shaking these though she tried to focus on the task at hand, report in, start incubation, stuff face with mochi, soak in bath, sleep. Seemed like a good enough plan, simple, straight forward, but to her dismay, when she opened the door to Branch Head Komui Lee's office, she was greeted by the usual mass of paper, but Komui was nowhere in sight. It was aggravating, she hated it when things did not go as planned, granted she had just made up this plan moments ago, but it was still aggravating. Tossing her bag onto the couch in front of his desk she took a seat and waited, toying with the idea of heading over to the science divison first, but it was hard to say how long Komui would be, and she would much rather get the dreaded task of reporting in over with.

Suddenly the office doors swung open and she was glad she had decided to wait. "Renge-chan! You're here!" The Branch Head exclaimed entering with flair. He seemed excited, too excited, and that meant he probably came up with another quote brilliant contraptions, and that was never a good thing. Although, his current mood might be beneficial to her since hopefully due to his state of excitement, her report might go smoothly. "Where's General Cross, he didn't come with you again?" He asked looking all around her as if the General was hiding behind her or something.

With that her hopes was dispelled and she frowned slightly, perhaps things will not go as smoothly as she desired. "Oh you know he hates this place." She said casually, attempting to draw the attention away from his absence.

"Oh well that's unfortunate. There were things I had wanted to discuss with him." The tall Chinese man said, moving behind his desk while he proceed to mindlessly arrange a stack of papers on his overflowing desk.

Of course there were things that needed to be discussed, like why they had not checked in for the past year and a half, or even what the heck they had been up to this whole time. But these things were sensitive, and she for one could not trust the Order in the least bit, not even Branch Head Komui, the most ethical person there. "Um, well he did want me to report that he is making progress with the mission and that things are going as well as they could be." She realized how much of nothing just came out of her mouth, but there was nothing she could really do about it except hope it would be enough.

The Branch Head took a long sip of coffee out of his bunny mug, and waited for the young exorcist to continue. Unfortunately, she just sat there, with her hands on her lap fidgeting slightly with the edge of her dress, it was clear she had said all she needed to say, which obviously was not much. He understood that the nature of the mission was delicate, but honestly he was expecting just a little bit more.

Glancing up at him she realized that although he was not urging her to continue, he was giving her a look that said he would appreciate some more information, information she was not willing to divulge. Then she remembered the innocence shards, those two little shards they had found could be her ticket out of this awkward conversation. Quickly, she reached into her pocket and presented them to Komui. "Here, we also found these two shards since the last time I checked in… you should probably get these over to Hevlaska as soon as possible."

Putting down his mug, Komui retrieved the shards from the girl and smiled knowingly. "So how long will you be staying with us this time?" It did not bother him that the girl was trying to deflect the details concerning General Cross' activities, quite frankly he did not really care. He was sure that the General had his reasons for staying hidden, Komui knew that this place was shrouded in darkness, and although he did his best to shed some light for the sake of his sister, he understood that words could be misinterpreted, actions misconstrued, and that somethings were just better left alone.

Renge let out a subtle sigh of relief, she was glad that he was not going to push the subject. "About two weeks, there's something I need to get done in the science division, which unfortunately takes about ten days to fuse."

"Unfortunately? I would have thought that you would welcome the break. It's not every day you get an opportunity to sit back and relax for two weeks." He said. Traveling around the world non stop would be tiring for any normal person, but traveling non stop around the world with General Cross, that was a whole other beast.

Relax huh, she supposed it would be nice to be able kick back and do nothing for a bit, to not have to constantly pick up and find a new place to stay, worry about Akuma or innocence, but the idea was rather foreign to her. She had never been one to idly sit about, she always needed some sort of adventure, be it a new secret to uncover or an Akuma to destroy, and on those rare days where the Akuma was sparse and all the mysteries solved, she would simply train. Though there was nothing simple about her training regiment, for it was For, the guardian deity of the Asian Branch who taught her everything she knew, and For, did not go easy on her. "I think I can try that." She said as she stood up to take her leave. She was glad that things went smoothly with Komui, that the Branch Head understood her distrust of the Order and why some things were better left to the unknown. The Order did not need to know what General Cross was up to, they did not need to know how deep they were infiltrating, not until the time was right.

As she headed toward the science division, she was confident that Reever, the section chief, would be just as understanding as Komui and just let her do what she needed to do. Although the science division usually took care of anything the exorcists would need, be it their uniforms or communication devices, even the repair of their anti-akuma weapons, it was not uncommon for Renge to come by and work on something independently.

"Hey, Renge! What brings you here today?" A tired looking man in this mid twenties asked, as he passed her, carrying a stack of papers.

"Hello, Section Chief Reever." She said politely, "I was wondering if I could borrow a workbench and work on something."

"Sure, not a problem, but you do know if you need something my team could always assist you." He said over his shoulder, pausing briefly to acknowledge her before he continued to make his way toward the Branch Head's office.

She smiled. "I know, but you guys always seem to be a little over worked." She called back to him, and entered the chaotic work space that is the science division. It was astonishing how much work the poor team had, and by the looks on everyone's faces she assumed that they had not slept in days. Finding a quiet corner, she began to set up everything she needed in order to make an enchanted device that would allow General Cross and herself to contact and track each other regardless of their distance and outside the realm of the Order's interference.

It was a simple device really, small nondescript, could be worn anywhere, and super effective, the only catch was she needed a blood sample from the two connected parties, that and enough magical competence to cast the correct spells on it. As she worked she tried her best to push out the images of that boy, even if she wanted to find him there was nothing she could do about it. A little part of her wished that there was some magic spell she could cast to either reveal to here where he was, or drive the memory of him out of her mind.

"Hey Renge! What are you working on?"

The chipper voice distracted her from her thoughts, bringing her back to reality. "Oh, hi Johnny." She said as her eyes fell upon the young scientist with the over-sized glasses. "Just a communicator."

He adjusted his glasses and took a closer look at what she was working on. It was a small crimson ring with tiny golden veins that ran through it like a current of electricity, if she had not told him it was a communicator he would have never guessed what it was. "Don't you already have a golem?"

The white lotus resting in her hair suddenly moved and its outer petals unraveled forming a pair of wings as it lifted itself off her head and fluttered over to Johnny, declaring its presence. She smiled, "Yes I do, and evidently Byakuren wants to make himself known."

"What a fascinating device!" He exclaimed as the little white golem landed on his hand, almost urging him to pet it. "Did you make this one too?"

"Oh no, he was a gift from my father, I am nowhere near capable of making something that complex." She replied as she lowered the two crimson rings into the incubator. "There, now I just have to wait ten days."

"Ten days?" He asked incredulously, the sudden jerking of his hands caused the golem to abruptly leave his hand and make its way back onto Renge's head.

She nodded, "Yup, ten days. Cells have to fuse and all."

"So what are you going to do with all that time?" He asked, hoping her answer was help out in the science division, god knows they needed all the help they could get. Besides, she might be young and an exorcist, but she knew her way around the lab better than some of the actual members of the science division, and that was saying a lot.

"I'm not sure," she said with a shrug, "Komui told me to relax, though I have yet to figure out what would entail. Maybe I'll go out to town a pick up some new clothes."

The mention of clothes made Johnny suddenly realize that she was not wearing an exorcist's uniform. He had not noticed it before because she still had the rose cross pinned to the front of her kimono, but she was wearing a black kimono tied with a bright red obi and white obijime. "You don't have an uniform?"

"Huh? Oh well I did, but it seems that I've grown over the past year and a half and well, it doesn't fit anymore." She barely finished her sentence before she was suddenly pulled to her feet with Johnny sprinting around her taking measurements. She had forgotten how passionate he could get about making their uniforms, not that she minded, having a new uniform that fit would be nice, and Johnny was always so attuned to each individual person's need.

Looking over his numbers he gave himself a satisfied nod, "I'm going to get started on this right away, hopefully I can get it to you by tomorrow morning!" He said as he scurried away, not even waiting for a response.

Thoughts of dinner and some delicious black sesame mochi filled her thoughts and she smiled to herself as she packed up her things. So far this trip was going pretty smoothly, the Branch Head accepted her abominable report, her communicator had been created without a hitch, she was getting a new uniform, all good things. Now all she had to do was figure out what to do for the next ten days, sleeping for days seemed like a good idea, though she figured at some point she would probably even get tired of that. They had a decent enough dojo she could train in, but she was lacking a sparring partner, Lenalee offered once, but quickly rescinded after about a minute, which did not surprise Renge in the least bit. The girl was a decent exorcist when push came to shove, but when it came down to it, she was just a fourteen year old girl, well twelve, the last time they sparred. Perhaps Noise Marie would be around, she had known him for as long as she could remember, and when he lost his sight seven years ago she had volunteered to train with him blind, which was immensely beneficial to both of them. Unfortunately, he was always out on missions, so she was doubtful that he would be available, although it did not hurt to try to track him down, but first, dinner. She had ten days to figure out what to do, and right now she needed food.

"Oh there you are!" A very out of breath girl exclaimed as she ran up to Renge and steadied herself on the table. "I've been looking all over for you."

"Hello to you too, Lenalee." She said with a small chuckle. "Miss me that much?"

"No, I mean yes, but not why I was looking for you." The younger girl took a moment to catch her breath, "It's just that Nii-san was looking for you, well he asked me to find you, said it was urgent."

Renge frowned, she had just left Komui's office, well just left a little over three hours ago, but still, she had just seen the man, why in the world would he need to see her again, and _right now_. She could not help but wonder if it was something to do with her so called report, maybe things were not going as smoothly as she had though, either way, there goes her thoughts about dinner. "Does he need to see me _right now_? Would I be able to grab some dinner first?"

Lenalee shook her head, "Sorry, I think dinner might have to wait, I spent the past half hour looking for you, I don't know what he needs you for, but it seemed serious."

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Thanks for reading, let me know what you thought... chapter two will be up shortly. :)


	2. Small talk

Aaaand cue Kanda. Please let me know what you thought.

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Thirty minutes and he found himself reaching his limit, not that he was doing anything particularly interesting before they called him in. It just irritated him that for something that was supposedly so urgent he needed to drop whatever it was he was doing and report in, all he had done so far was stand around for half an hour.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." A blur of black hair said as she threw open the office doors and hurriedly made her way across the room, plopping herself down onto the couch facing Komui's desk. "I got caught up in the science division, and then there was the matter of my uniform…"

When she rushed into the room, all he could see was that white lotus resting on top of her head. Or more accurately, when she rushed into the room those irritating flowers that perpetually flooded his vision dispersed and for the first time in what seemed like forever, the only lotus he saw was an actual tangible object. As he stared at that bright flower floating on that sea of black he suddenly felt strangely at peace, and that storm that persistently raged within him seemed to quell, and for once in his life he did not feel the urge to slice something in half.

There was something vaguely familiar about her and this sudden clarity he was seeing, he was sure he had encountered it once before, four years ago, on his way out to a mission. It was one of those nights where he was feeling particularly irate, although being rushed off to a mission before he could finish his soba would pretty much guarantee that he would be enraged. It was in the midst of all this chaos that there at the landing dock he saw her. Normally he would not have given the figures standing in the corner a second though, they had nothing to do with him, and evidently there was someplace he _needed_ to be at the moment. The thing that had caught his eye was not so much the girl, though he had never seen her before or since, but it was the fact that is seemed like the very space she was occupying seemed to have the power to dispel his illusionary flowers and calm his soul. He did not think much of it then, she was just a passing shadow in the night, and once he looked away the flowers and the rage returned. By the time he had gotten on the boat and looked back, she was gone, and he had convinced himself that it was just a trick of the light, that she had never existed, but now here she was, sitting not five feet away from him.

"I'm sorry we rushed you Renge-chan. And I had just told you you could relax."

The Branch Head's voice broke him from his reverie and he could not help but feel a small smirk tug at the corner of his lips. This girl, even her very name embodied that flower, it is no wonder that she was capable of chasing that illusion away. Something about her made his soul stir and his heartbeat to a rhythm he had never known before. It was strange, he had been so used to feeling numb, but there was just something different about her, and he had never felt this way before, not even with Alma. With Alma there was always just this longing, this nagging feeling that he was missing something, with Alma he felt all wrapped up inside his past self and conflicted with his current self. "Tch" He scoffed more to himself than anything, thoughts of Alma and his past always had a way of spoiling his mood, so he pushed away those thoughts and slowly moved away from the wall toward the couch.

The sudden movement in the back of the room drew her attention away from Komui, she had not even been aware that there was another person in the room, and when her eyes caught those of the young man moving toward them she felt her breath catch in her throat. There was something about him that made her head spin, something beyond the fact that he was painfully beautiful. She could feel her heart speed up and slow down at the same time, and all she wanted to do was touch him, to confirm that he was real.

"Oh Kanda-kun, sorry to keep you waiting," Komui said as he moved to the front of his desk and rested his hands on the edge. "This is Renge, I don't believe you two have ever met before, she will be accompanying you on this mission. Be nice."

Kanda scoffed at the last comment, he was always nice, or at least that is what he would like to believe, though people tended to confuse being nice with being pleasant. Besides, if he came across as anything but nice, it was usually because the other party said or did something irritating.

"Wait, mission?" She asked, perplexed, she was sure that this meeting had something to do with her so-called report, though that would explain the relax comment.

Komui gave her an apologetic smile, "I know you just go here and we had just talked about using the time you had to relax, but something came up, and you two are the strongest exorcists I have at my disposal at the moment."

Raising an eyebrow she took another look at the stoic exorcist standing next to her. Granted she did not know many exorcists outside of the Generals and Lenalee, but she supposed he was capable enough. His eyes had this arrogant gleam that she had come to associate with greatness, considering it was a glint she had seen reflected enough times in her father's eyes. The thing about him that intrigued her was that he could not have been much older than herself, and here Komui was saying that they were the strongest exorcists he had. She chuckled softly to herself, if two teenagers were the best the Order had to offer, it is no wonder they were so desperate for more accommodators.

He did his best to not catch her eye again, and focus on what Komui was saying, but her very presence was distracting and he found it hard to concentrate. It bothered him that he knew nothing about her, not that he really took the time to get to know the people he worked with, but he surely would have remembered someone like her. Komui knew of her, and of her competency as an exorcist, which could only mean that she was not new, yet he had never seen her before. _Except for that one time…_ If she really was that girl he saw four years ago, where had she been all this time? Things were not adding up and it irritated him, he hated it when things did not make sense.

"... if it's the two of you, I'm sure you guys will get to the bottom of this in time for you to finish up in the science division." Komui finished, handing them the folders containing their mission brief.

An uncharacteristic scowl formed on Renge's face. It seemed like they needed to head out right away, which normally would not be a problem for her, she enjoyed having the chance to destroy an Akuma or two, or a dozen, but she was hungry, and tired, and was looking forward to getting a new uniform. "So I guess this means I don't have time to grab dinner and wait for my uniform to be finished." She mumbled to herself as she got up. Time to go kill some Akuma and save the day, dinner would have to wait, although she could probably snatch up some mochi for the road. "Hey, um, Kanda was it? Do you mind if I just drop by the cafeteria real quick and grab something?"

"Che, do whatever you want." He said roughly as he headed toward the door. Her presence, as soothing as it was, was hurting his head. He wanted nothing to do with her, nothing good ever came from being close to someone, just heartache and pain, and he has had enough of that. Yet at the same time he wanted everything to do with her, just by being there she had a power to calm his soul and almost make him forget about his past self, and it was exactly what he needed.

Kanda checked the time again, according to the schedule the train they needed to catch would be arriving in less than twenty minutes. Which meant that they would not have time to head to the station first and would have to illegally board from the bridge, and if she did not show up soon, they would miss the train all together. The funny thing is, he was not even mad, sure the expression on his face said otherwise, but honestly, he did not care. Whether or not this mission was a success meant nothing to him. In fact, since he had not even been listening during the mission brief, he did not even know what the mission was, not that it mattered, he was here for the massacre of Akuma.

"Sorry again." She said as she flew by him landing in the boat. It was the second time this day she had to apologize for being late, and it was not sitting well with her, not that the first time was her fault. They had no time left, and she for one did not want to be the reason they missed the train, although the mochi would have been worth it.

It did not take them long to catch up to the train and jump on board, and he was rather impressed with the fact that she was able to keep up. Most of the new exorcists he met could barely match his speed, but then again she was not new, and clearly she was not inept. Komui had placed her at the same level as him, and although that meant that she would be able to hold her own, he was still unsure about what to expect.

"So when did you become an exorcist?" He found himself asking when they had finally settled down in the cabin.

Having just stuffed a fresh piece of mochi in her mouth Renge just looked at him with big questioning eyes, slightly taken aback by the question. On her way up to the cafeteria earlier she had run into Lenalee, who had given her condolences for having to go on a mission with Kanda, who apparently had a poor attitude and was difficult to work with. "Since I was about twelve, so um, around four years ago?" She replied after swallowing the sticky sweet pastry.

"Hn." He grunted, four years made a lot of sense to him, considering it was four years ago that he was pretty sure he first saw her, although four years is a long time, and one would think that he would have seen her around. "So where have you been?" He furrowed his brow, the questions were leaving his mouth before he even had a chance to stop himself from asking them.

She smiled as she studied his face, he was trying very hard to keep an annoyed, yet indifferent expression, but his words were contradicting his actions, which she found amusing. It was evident that he was failing at maintaining that cold, stoic persona Lenalee had warned her about, considering how forced it was. Offering him one of her pastries, which he silently refused, she pondered his question. "Around?" She replied hesitantly.

"Obviously." He retorted shifting his gaze from her to the window, deciding that it was time to stop with the twenty questions. What did it matter to him where she had been this whole time anyway, why did he even care, it was not like learning more about her would magically make his heart stop its erratic beating and return to some form of normalcy.

Noticing his change of demeanor she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Evidently he was serious, and actually wanted to know, but she was not sure what to say. It was not like she was about to tell him exactly what she had been doing for the past four years, she did not even disclose that information to Komui. "Well, besides travelling around the world, I suppose I spent a significant amount of time at the Asian Branch." She finally said, figuring that although vague, it should have been enough to satisfy his curiosity.

"Che, I hate that place." He spat out of reflex.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad there." She said as she nibbled the last mochi cake, black sesame mochi always put her in a good mood. True, the place had some darkness, but the people were nice enough when they were not blatantly lying to your face, and the food was good, especially the desserts. Actually, if she were to be brutally honest with herself, that place was pretty detestable, that place full of lies and deceit, and fake smiles which attempted to cover up the blood and cruelty, but it was the closest thing to home she had ever known.

It was the place where she grew up, learning to fight with For, stealing mochi cakes from Zu Mei, perfecting the stealth aspect of her innocence as she ran around the place undetected, but most importantly it was the place where she had encountered that boy. If only she could figure out who he was and why he was so important to her, if only she could unravel that last remaining mystery surrounding that place. She had already figured the rest out, between her explorations and expertly concealed eavesdropping she had gotten all the answers she wanted, all except who that boy was. It suddenly dawned upon her that he might know, considering he knew the place, and he was about her age, it was all too possible that he could have been there around the time of her chance encounter, heck for all she knew he _could_ be that boy. "So uh," she started, clearing her throat as she mentally prepared herself to ask the next question, dreading the possibility that it could all just be in her head. "When were you there? I mean, clearly you've been there, can't hate a place you've never been to, but uh, was just wondering when…"

Letting out an exasperated sigh he turned and glared at her. Why did it matter when he was there, he hated the place, it was a horrible place, thinking about that place infuriated him and made his very core ache. "Why do you want to know?" He snapped, with more ferocity than he had intended.

Why did she want to know, well she knew exactly why she wanted to know, but the reason seemed so silly to her now. How was she supposed to say because she was chasing a ghost, without sounding like an idiot. Letting out a sigh she attempted to collect her thoughts, the mochi was gone, so she could not even stuff her face in an attempt to stall. "Honestly," she started, her heart pounding in her chest as the image of that boy struggling out of water once again flashed before her eyes, "um…" Looking up she met his eyes, he was still glaring at her, yet there was something in his eyes that was inviting her to continue. "Okay, so seven years ago I witnessed a boy climbing out of the river, I know it sounds crazy, but I'm sure it happened. Although Bak-chan and Marie, who were also there at the time swore that they had no idea what I was talking about, which honestly is ridiculous, I mean Marie literally held the kid and pulled that crazy needle out of his back…"

As she began her rant he could feel the scowl on his face intensify. This was insanity, what she was talking about, the boy, that incident, images from his past flooded back into his mind and he could feel that rage inside him once again rise. She had evidently witnessed a pivotal moment from his past, and was now asking him if he knew who that boy was, of course he knew who that boy was, but he had no intention of telling her. Not for nothing, his past was definitely something he was not in the mood to discuss, and by acknowledging her he knew that a string of questions would certainly follow. "I have no idea what you are talking about." He lied, feeling slightly guilty when she looked genuinely defeated, but justified in his response.

"Eh, it's okay." She said, trying to cheer herself up a little. "Maybe I am just a little crazy and did make the whole thing up. I'm sorry I bothered you about all this, it's just that I feel like I'm chasing a ghost."

"Have you asked Marie about it?" He asked, more out of guilt than anything. This was not a subject he wanted to be discussing, but he of all people knew what it felt like to chase a ghost, although his ghost was quite literally a ghost.

She shrugged, "No, not since the incident. But like I said, he and Bak-chan kept denying everything, and after a while I felt like an idiot bringing it up. They were convinced I was out of my mind, but it all just seemed too real to be a dream. They were able to recall everything else that happened, from their conversation and the melody Marie was playing to what we had for lunch afterwards, but everything surrounding helping a boy out of the river, nope. It was as if I was this crazy person talking about an event that never happened. Seriously, there is no reason for me to just make up an imaginary person. Unless, I really had been so desperate for companionship back then, but still that would make little sense, I had For, granted she's like a hundred years old, but she was fun enough, so why make someone up. Although, that whole insane episode was what spurred my exploration of the place, and that is a whole other beast in of itself. If you knew half of that crap that went on in that place, but you probably do, considering you hate the place..." She was rambling now, and she knew she was rambling, but the words just kept pouring out of her mouth, and for some inexplicable reason she continued to let it happen.

She had never told anyone about that day, especially after the characters involved made her feel like she losing her mind, and besides her father she most definitely had never told anyone what she had uncovered back then. It was not a subject she liked to talk about, considering her distrust of the Order due to those discoveries, but maybe it was because he had expressed a dislike toward that place, that put her mind at ease. Whatever it was, she had found herself unloading her soul to this man she had met not an hour earlier.

Normally he would have been extremely annoyed by her incessant talking, especially taking into account the subject matter. The atrocities performed by the Black Order at the Asian Branch was something he was all too familiar with, and he did not need someone recounting the second exorcist project, or Alma's massacre back to him, but despite all that there was something oddly soothing about her. Perhaps it was the fact that although she brought up painful memories from his past, memories he tried very hard to keep locked away, they were memories that belonged to him and him alone. It was not those memories of a time long ago, lost memories that usually plagued his existence. No, with her he found clarity. Not only did she chase those flowers from his sight, but there was something about her that made him forget all about his past self, and for once in his life his soul did not feel split. So he just sat there and let her talk, a superficial scowl plastered on his face.

* * *

Thanks for reading. I'm hoping to update soon. :3


	3. Return

Five days was all it took for him to be completely smitten by her, it was a record really. It had taken months of fighting and broken bodies for him to even be remotely civil with Alma, and then there was Lenalee. He had known her for about as long as he had existed, and after all that time he supposed he could tolerate her. There were a few others here and there that he had an amicable relationship with, Marie for one, but he was different, Marie knew his moods and did not push his buttons. Yet when it came to this girl, all she had to do was exist and he was content. He could not pinpoint what it was about this girl that made his head spin, everything about her entranced him. From those bright eyes that shone like the night sky, to that immense sea of black that was her hair, to the way she moved, especially the way she moved. Her movements were the epitome of grace, yet when she fought the Akuma, she exuded this lethality that made his heart leap with excitement.

They did not talk much after that long train ride where she unloaded the contents of her soul, not that opportunity to converse ever arose. Between the annihilation of the Akuma and de-escalation of tension with the city officials due to the immense amount of damage done, there was little time left for idle talk. Yet despite the lack of verbal communication, he had come to learn more about this girl in the short time they had spent together than anyone else in his life. Perhaps it was because he actually paid attention to all the subtle things she did, or maybe it was because without the interference of those flowers he was able to see clearer. It was most definitely the former.

Most of the train ride back to Headquarters was spent in silence. Mostly due to the fact that every time she looked at him she could not help but think about that boy, but considering she had already asked about him and received an answer, she did not see any reason to broach the subject again. He did not say anything because he was still not ready to talk about himself, and every time he looked at her he could almost see her inner turmoil and the guilt of lying to her stayed his tongue.

It bothered him that there was nothing he could say to put her mind at ease, after all he had already denied knowing anything. Yet sitting there knowing he knew the answers to all her questions was a bit disquieting. He had no idea when it was he started caring so much about what she thought or why her current state of mind should even interest him, but he kept having this nagging feeling that he should say something.

It was not until they had reached Headquarters and he had gotten off the boat that he had finally decided what he should say. After disembarking he turned to face her and said "I suggest you ask Marie about that day again," before quickly taking off, leaving her alone to ponder his words.

In the days following their mission together, he did not see much of her. Or more accurately he saw her a lot, but made it a point to not interact with her. It was not because he did not want to, god knows his erratic heart and teenaged hormones most definitely wanted to, but it was because he was not sure how to approach her. He was still confused by all the new emotions he was feeling toward this girl and was not quite sure what it was he even wanted from her. That and she was always surrounded by people who seemed to know her, and it seemed like everyone there knew her. Be it finders or random members of the science division, even a few of the other exorcists. He was grateful that Noise Marie was still away on a mission, her confronting him then was definitely not something he wanted to tackle at the moment. So he just kept his distance and pretended he did not see her.

She would be lying if she said that she never thought about him, although that was what she often told her friend Lenalee. He was just another person she had met through the Order, no reason to have his very being penetrate her every thought. She had learned long ago not to trust anyone, and although she had formed some genuine friendships with a few people, namingly Lenalee, she was still wary of almost everyone she met. Still she could not quite place what was it about him that made her abandon all caution and dive in, unloading her soul to him and allowing him to consume her. In an attempt to push him out of her mind she had filled her remaining days there with people, yet despite her best efforts all she could feel were his eyes upon her.

Nobody had to tell him when she suddenly left one day, for those flowers that were held at bay the past ten days suddenly came flooding back into sight. He had grown so accustomed to not seeing them that their sudden reappearance confused him momentarily and then filled him with an uncontrollable rage. When the realization that she had not simply gone on another mission, but would most likely be gone for months or maybe even years dawned upon him, he was more volatile as ever. Any and everything set him off, and it was no wonder her nearly skewered the junior Bookman a week later, when he was called by his given name. A name he associated with that wretched place, a name he despised, for it reminded him of his stolen death and the life he never should have lived.

As the days, and weeks, and months passed that rage never subsided, always hovering near the surface threatening to boil over. Everyday he would wonder if she would return and once again put his soul at peace, but every day those illusions remained, along with the bitter memories of his past self. His only solace were those quiet moments of meditation he had, when he could close his eyes forget his surroundings, and be completely filled with those fleeting memories of her.

It would be six months before she returned to that place, not that there was a reason for her to return, unless Komui was in the mood for another useless mission report. The reason why she returned was because for six agonizing months she had been unable to decipher what it was about him that drove her to the brink of insanity. No matter what she did she found herself staring into those harsh eyes of his, longing to reach out touch him, to confirm he was real. She was not sure what it was she wanted to achieve by seeking him out, but she was hoping whatever it was it would help her return to some form of normalcy.

The moment that dark stony dock came into view she heard the whispers of those last words he spoke to her, encouraging her to confront Marie again, and to seek the answers to questions she had long cast aside. A small part of her wanted to cast those words aside, it seemed unnecessary to bring up a subject she had buried long ago, but it had been so long since she had last spoken to Marie about it, and she could not help but wonder what the large man would have to say. Contemplating these things she disembarked and concluded that before she does anything, she should first have her fill of all the sweet mochi cakes Jervy could whip up.

If she had to pick a favorite room at Headquarters, the cafeteria would definitely rank top three. It was always such a warm and inviting place, and no matter what time of day it was, it was always loud and boisterous, full of people eating their fill and catching up with friends. That and it was the place where she could find her favorite treat, black sesame mochi. Although for the past six months, every time she took a bite of that sweet sticky cake filled with black liquid gold, instead of being filled with pure bliss, she was always met by a pair of dark piercing eyes and a very one sided conversation. She always found herself agitated afterwards. Irritated that her favorite treat had lost its magic and that she would once again find herself fixated on that boy, that tall, tantalizingly beautiful, cold, stoic, aggravatingly cryptic boy.

Scanning the large, welcoming room she noted that the object of her obsession was absent, although if he were present she would most likely of continued on as if he were not. She was not ready to confront him, she had yet to find the correct words to say, considering she had already said everything she would have ever wanted to say the first time they met. He was just this nagging presence in her mind, and she figured that if she physically saw him that maybe, her heart would be content and she could move on. Since finding him and moving on was not an option at the moment, she opted for the next best thing and found herself moving toward the pair of exorcists sitting off to the side of the room, one of whom she did not recognize.

As she made her way over toward the one person she truly considered a friend, she could feel the set of green eyes, or rather one green eye and an eyepatch, which sat across from her staring questioningly at her. She did not recognize the boy, not that she knew all the exorcists at the Order, but surely she would have recalled that red hair and playful smile. Then again, six months ago she had not known about the existence of Kanda although he had been there long before she even stepped foot in Headquarters. She flashed him a friendly smile and put her finger to her lips, indicating to him that she did not want the girl sitting across from him alerted to her presence.

"Guess who?" She teased gently placing her hands over her friend's eyes.

Instantly, Lenalee leapt from her chair and threw her arms around the older girl's neck. "RENGE!" She exclaimed, "What are you doing here!?"

She smiled back, returning her friend's hug as she quickly contemplated what to say. The truth, was out of the question. They did not need to know that she had returned due to some silly infatuation which has evolved into a full blown obsession, with someone she had met once. Although, considering her past, and the fact that she had allowed a ghost to consume every fiber of her being and propel her through life, it was not too far fetched to believe that when she falls for someone, she falls hard. Then it dawned upon her, it was February, late February at that, and although she was unsure what day it was, it was close enough. "Happy birthday."

They young exorcist could barely contain her excitement, "I can't believe you remembered my birthday!" Lenalee exclaimed pulling Renge in for another hug.

"Oi, it's your birthday Lenalee-chan?" The red haired exorcist said, drawing the attention of the two girls.

"Mmmhmm," Lenalee replied, letting go of her friend and returning to her seat. "Tomorrow."

Renge smiled at how well her lie had worked out, though if she had actually remembered that it was February, she would have made the trip back just to say happy birthday, so it was more of a half lie. "I'm Renge by the way," she said to the boy as she settled down next to her friend.

"Lavi, nice to meet you." He replied with a smile.

"Oh right, you guys have never met before." Lenalee said in between bites of her food. "He just got here a couple of months ago, freaking Kanda nearly killed him when they first met for calling him Yuu."

"Yuu?" Renge whispered to herself. She was sure had heard that name before, but she could not quite place where, it was so familiar yet so distant at the same time, like a whisper from the past. It irritated her that she once again felt like she was missing something from her past, something important, something only she remembers. Images of that boy ran across her mind again, and she tried to once again recall that scene, to hear the words they spoke.

"Seriously man!" Lavi exclaimed. "That guy is insane. Who the hell pulls a sword on someone they just met."

Lavi's voice broke her from her reverie, shaking the memories of her ghost she forced herself to laugh. "Really now, he can't be _that_ bad." She she said slightly amused. He really could not be as bad as everyone was making him out to be. Granted, he was a little cold, and easily annoyed, but for the five days she spent alone with him she could not really say he was horrible company. True, he usually put on a grumpy face and did not talk much, most of his talking being short sentences laced with irritation, but he had his moments. For one, he actually spoke to her, something which defied Lenalee's initial assertion of him, well that and he made her stomach flutter and her heart race.

"No, seriously." He said enthusiastically, "He literally tried to stab me with that sword of his just because I called him by his name. HIS NAME. If Lenalee wasn't there to stop him I'm pretty sure I'd be shishkebab right now."

Lenalee nodded in agreement. "You have no idea Renge. That guy has always been pissy, for lack of a better word, but he's never been this violently temperamental… well at least not for this long. Yea sure, he's always grumpy and mopes around threatening people every now and then, but now… sheesh, everyday since god knows when, he's been like a powder keg giving off sparks. I feel like if we looked at him funny he'd try to kill us."

"Well, not you, maybe me." Lavi said laughing.

"Maybe if you stopped calling him Yuu, he'd stop trying to murder you." The younger girl said pointedly.

"Pffft, but that's his name. He needs to get over it." The redhead dismissed. "Ha, remember that finder he almost impaled?"

"Which one?" Lenalee asked gravely. "There's been so many. It's why Nii-san has been putting him on a lot more missions lately, he calls it self preservation."

Renge shook her head, as a small smile graced her lips. "As riveting as this conversation is, I need to go get some food." She said as she got up. Not that she did not enjoy their recounts of the many times Kanda attempted to murder someone, but she was hungry and watching them eat did not help. Besides, she had come to get her mind off of him, not have the conversation revolve around the one thing currently consuming her.

By the time they had finished eating, Renge had come to the conclusion that she enjoyed Lavi's company. His carefree persona was refreshing, and even though she could tell it was nothing more than a persona, she had decided that she was willing to overlook that fact due to the nature of his occupation. It was not every day one got to meet a Bookman, and from her understanding of the Bookman Clan, she was willing to accept his fake smiles dead eyes. Besides, his friendly disposition and mischievous smiles were a welcome break from those dark brooding eyes which plagued her current existence.

The following day came and went with much fanfare, although it was unsurprising that Komui would pull out all the stops for Lenalee's birthday. All the excitement and festivities helped her momentarily forget her current affliction, not to mention all the wine she consumed when no one was looking. The alcohol made her feel warm and fuzzy on the inside and quite giddy on the outside. When she saw Noise Marie in the distance, images of her blue haired obsession came flooding into her mind and his voice resounded in her mind, imploring her to ask Marie once again about that day. Propelled by her inebriated state, she rushed toward the large man as she called out his name.

"Marie!"

Noise Marie turned toward the direction his name, tuning his headphones toward the familiar voice. "Renge?"

"Hey buddy! It's been a while." She said as she enveloped him in a big hug. Of all the exorcists at the Black Order, Noise Marie was probably her favorite, even more so than Lenalee. For starters, he was probably the one person she has known about as long as her father, that and his calm, quiet presence always put her at ease and the melody of his Noel Organon was one of the fondest memories of her childhood.

"A little over two years if I remember correctly." He replied, returning her embrace. "How have you been?"

"Goooood." She cooed. "Running around the world, fighting the good fight. You know how it is."

Marie tsked softly at the clearly inebriated girl before him. What was the Order up to these days, allowing minors to drink. Then again this was Renge he was dealing with, and with her stealth, she could get away with anything. Besides, she had spent the past two years running around the world with General Cross, the way that man indulged, it was no surprise that she was not a stranger to alcohol. He smiled at the young exorcist and nodded. "Yes, I know. Glad to hear you are doing well."

"Yes, as well as one could." She replied, dismissing his disapproving tsk. "By the way, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, you know you can always ask me anything."

"True, but I don't always get an answer."

"Hn, well that would depend on the question now wouldn't it." Something about her last comment put on edge. There was only one time in his life he had ever given her an unclear answer, and honestly, it really was not even his fault. It surprised him that after all these years she was still stuck on that, but then again, it could just be the alcohol talking.

"Well, I was wondering if you perhaps remember that day you wrote that requiem for your fallen comrades, you know back at the Asian Branch, on the bridge." She asked, half in a trance as the details of that day danced within her mind.

"Yes." He replied, slightly perplexed. Perhaps it really was the alcohol talking, because it had been years since she last brought up that day, in fact she had not mentioned it at all after the first two weeks of that incident.

"Do you remember pulling a boy from the river?" she mused.

Exhaling slowly he attempted to fight the slight scowl which threatened to form on his face. "Yes."

Breaking from her reverie Renge suddenly felt sober. The warm, fuzzy, happy feeling melted away into a state of utter disbelief. "Wait, what? Really?" She exclaimed. "Then why the hell did you and Bak-chan deny it so many times, making me feel like a goddamn lunatic!?"

"I'm sorry." Marie said wholeheartedly. "The truth is, I really didn't remember at that time. After they retrieved the boy, the Crows wiped our memories."

"So how come you remember now?" She demanded slightly infuriated.

Noise Marie frowned. He had not realized that this singular event in his life was so important to her, but her disdain in that moment proved its significance. "I don't know if you remember the day I almost died, after that first mission I was sent on after I went blind. They took me to laboratory six and that boy from the river saved me from a fate worse than dying."

Hearing those words and seeing the pain on his face quelled her anger. Suddenly it did not matter why he never told her, she had not realized how close her dear friend had come to being a subject of the second exorcist project. That accursed place, _Asia Sixth Institute._ "I'm sorry." She whispered.

"It's okay, don't be sorry. I'm sorry I never cleared that up with you, there was just never a good time to bring it up. Besides, it was a very dark time in my life, so I do not like to talk about it much, I just never realized it held so much significance for you." He gave her a slight squeeze. "By the way, why are bringing all this up now?"

She gave him a sad smile. "Honestly, it was suggested by someone that I asked you about it again."

"Really? Why in the world would someone suggest that? Who in the world would suggest that?"

"Kanda."

"Wait, Kanda?!" Marie exclaimed indignantly. " _Kanda_ suggested you ask me about the boy in the river?"

"Yup."

"What the hell. Why would he suggest that?"

This new lively side to Noise Marie was quite amusing to the inebriated Renge. "I'm not really sure. It kind of confused me too. I mean I had already told him I asked you about it before..."

He was beside himself, nothing she was saying was making sense. "What do you mean you had already told him you've asked me before?"

"Oh right," said said, realizing that she should elaborate and give her question context. "You see, the last time I was here, Komui sent me on some mission with Kanda. On the way there we were talking and I may or may not have asked him about the boy because you know, evidently that's what I do when the Asian Branch is brought up. Anyway, he told me he had no idea what I was talking about and asked me if I had asked you about it. I said yes, and that you had no idea... and then randomly when we got back to the Order he goes and suggests I ask you about it again... so here I am asking you about it."

To say Noise Marie was furious would be an extreme understatement. He was quite sure he had never been angrier in his life. "Wait, so you're telling me that you asked _Kanda_ about that boy and he denied knowing anything and then suggested that you ask _me_?"

"Pretty much."

"I'm going to kill that bastard."

Renge narrowed her eyes and frowned. "Why?" She asked apprehensively, although she had an inkling she already knew the answer to her question.

The large man let out an exasperated sigh. "Because Kanda _IS_ the boy from the river."

Something inside of her snapped when she heard those words. The alcohol swimming inside of her filled her with an irrational rage and all she wanted to do at that moment was find that boy and stab him in the throat. It infuriated her that for hours he sat across from her listening to her rant, feigning indifference as she sought answers and told him things she had never told another soul. Honestly though, what did she really expect. He was an exorcist of the Black Order, and she already knew that the Order was filled with lies and deception, that no one was to be trusted, so why did his lie fill her with such an inexplicable rage? Perhaps it was the alcohol, but perhaps it was not. She simply felt utterly betrayed.

Without a word she turned and stormed off down the hall, pausing when she heard Marie ask where she was going. She cocked her head toward him as a sinister smile spread across her lips. "To find a fucking sword."


	4. Resolve

It did not take her long to acquire a sword, in fact the Order made it quite easy by conveniently having a storage closet full of weapons. She tried her best to quell her wrath, and in an unsuccessful attempt to channel that rage she found herself in the dojo, decimating a series of unoffending training dummies until there was nothing left but wood chips and stuffing. By the time she finished the alcohol had already run its course, but that inexplicable rage remained. She knew her anger was irrational, but every time those dark eyes flashed in her mind, something inside her snapped and she felt her fury once again rise, and it flared up within her like a wildfire over parched grasslands.

Once upon a time she had wondered what it was she would do if she ever found that ghost from her past, and for that moment, the answer was as clear as day; stab him in the fucking throat. She tried to convince herself that perhaps there was an alternative, but every alternative she could think of, still involved embedding the katana she had acquired, into some part of his body. It bothered her that she felt this way, and the fact that the past few hours of destruction did absolutely nothing to satisfy her desire for violence, even after the alcohol wore off. At this point in time she could not even attribute her irrational anger to her state of inebriation.

Being this angry annoyed her, it was far too much effort to be this worked up over nothing, but this inexplicable need to annihilate him for a simple denial of truth would not go away. So she decided that the best course of action at the moment was to eat away all her feelings, because evidently destroying things did not work. Unfortunately she had forgotten that as of late, her favorite snack had the disastrous side effect of making her think of him, and thus added fuel to the fire blazing within in.

As she stuffed the last mochi into her mouth and exited the cafeteria, she felt her body suddenly tense. It did not surprise her that she felt his presence long before she saw him, considering her heart had this strange tendency to pound in a very distinctive way whenever he was within proximity to her. When she finally located the source of her current discomfort, she did the only logical thing she could think of; descend upon him like a whirlwind with her sword unsheathed, as if he was the personification of an Akuma.

The first thing he noticed when he entered the space between the cafeteria and the lounge was her. Rather he noticed the absence of those damned flowers he had grown accustomed to seeing again, which could only mean that she was present. Unfortunately for him, he barely had enough time process that thought and unsheath Mugen before she collided with him, in a flurry of aggressive slashes, that even he had trouble keeping up with. He had known that she could hold her own against an Akuma, what he did not know was that when it came to the sword, she was able to move with that same amount of grace and agility, not to mention a speed and refinement that rivaled his own. As he continued to counter the onslaught of her blade, he could not help but wondered what spurred her attack. But she did not leave him much time to ponder that thought, as her blade demanded his attention, lest he wanted to be cut.

The fact that he was able to keep up with her attacks and expertly deflect her was unsurprising to her, for she had witnessed him fight before, and was well aware of his skill. What annoyed and surprised her was the calm he had about him as he continued to move in sync with her. As their little dance continued, she became more and more aggravated as one thing became increasingly clear to her. Without ever having to move toward an offensive, he outmatched her, and the only reason she was doing as well as she was against him was the fact that she driven by rage. That realization propelled her forward and her movements became increasingly ferocious as her mind focused on one thing, and one thing only; drawing blood. She knew she needed an opening, one that she would not easily find, but still she persisted, her unrelenting anger fueling her every move.

As their battle continued, the once boisterous room fell silent, and everyone paused to watch their graceful, but deadly dance. Most of the crowd was delighted, mainly due to the fact that Kanda's attitude the past few months had been deplorable, and it was refreshing to see someone actually take an offensive stance with him. The rest, namingly Lenalee, Lavi, and Daisya, stood perplexed. It was no secret that Renge had been in a foul mood for most of the day, in fact, Lenalee had spent the better part of the day attempting to keep Lavi and Daisya away from the girl due to her murderous aura. What confused them the most was the fact that she was attacking Kanda of all people, and that she was doing a damn good job at it too.

"Marie, you have to stop her." Lenalee finally said when it became clear that Renge was on a mission to dismember their cold, stoic comrade.

"Why?" The usually reasonable man asked, with an amused smile.

"Be-because…" The young exorcist stammered, quite taken aback. She could have sworn that the large man was rather enjoying this spectacle, and it confused her. Noise Marie was usually the level headed one, the one who would attempt to defuse situations like this, but here he was clearly enjoying the fact that Renge was attempting to commit murder. It then occurred to her that the two of them have been acting extremely weird for the better part of the day, and she could not help but wonder if this was all related. She let out an exasperated sigh. "... because you're good at keeping people from killing each other."

Marie could not help but let out a small laugh, it was true, he normally did act like a buffer between Kanda and whoever set him off, but this situation was different. For starters, it was not Kanda who was on a rampage, and secondly, he had absolutely no intention of stopping Renge. After his conversation with Renge, he was of the impression that Kanda deserved whatever he had coming to him. "But honestly Lenalee, do you not think Kanda brought this upon himself?"

The young woman pouted, clearly not amused but the older man's reply. It was true that for the better part of six months Kanda had been giving everyone grief, and it was also true that he most likely deserved being on the receiving end of a blade, but still it did not sit right with her. How Kanda could have possibly incurred Renge's wrath was beyond her, the two of them barely knew each other, not to mention the fact that Renge had been gone for the past six months and Kanda had literally just stepped into the building.

"I'm with Marie on this one." The junior Bookman chimed in, earning himself a glare.

"How so?" Lenalee asked incredulously, her eyes narrowed and arms crossed.

Lavi shrugged as he ran a hand through his hair. "We all know Renge's been off today, he probably said something that simply pushed her over the edge. 'Bout time someone put him in his place."

"Really!?" She exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air. "You guys are all just going to stand around and let them duke it out, without even _trying_ to stop them!? Someone could get seriously hurt!"

"I don't see you doing anything to stop them." Lavi said pointedly.

A low growl escaped Lenalee's lips, "I'm _trying_." She said through clenched teeth.

"By asking Maire to step in?"

"He's good at defusing Kanda!" She shouted, annoyed that she had to justify her actions. It was not like she did not want to step in a break the two of them apart, but she honestly did not know what good it would do. Besides, if she had actually attempted to curtail their fight she would most likely have ended up as a pin cushion.

"Evidently, so are you." Marie retorted with a slight chuckle, gesturing toward Lavi.

"I should have just let Kanda dismember him!" She screamed in frustration.

Lenalee's outburst inadvertently gave Renge the opening she sought, as it drew Kanda's attention for a split second, and in that moment he finally understood what this was all about. Unfortunately for him, in his moment of clarity he absentmindedly paused, allowing Renge the opportunity to embed her katana into his side.

He did not notice it when her sword slid into his lower right abdomen, what he did notice was that her movements had suddenly come to halt. It was not until she released her grip on her katana that he felt the heaviness of her sword in his side, and it was not until her eyes shot up to meet his that he felt the pain radiate through his body. It was unclear to him if the pain originated from the sword embedded in him or from that wild, enraged look in her eye that pierced through his soul.

Renge glared at him as she worked through her emotions, that fierce, uninhibited anger had dissipated into some form of bitter disappointment. She was not sure what she wanted to do next, she had not thought it through that far, as her only goal was to stab him. What she did know was that she had no intention of continuing this little dance of theirs, as she had already relinquished her sword to his body and accomplished the one thing she had set out to do. The fact that he did not react at all to her antics unnerved her. It was driving her mad that he just stood there and stared back at her, a curious expression plastered on his face. For once, he was not angry, in fact, his eyes were not even narrowed at her, which confused her, considering she just stabbed him in the gut. It was all too much for her to take, so she briskly turned on her heel and stormed out of the room, leaving him standing there impaled by her blade, surrounded by a crowd of dumbfounded spectators.

He watched silently as she exited the room, his body frozen in place until her absence brought him back to his present predicament and he could feel his relative calm quickly slip away as he finally took notice of the sea of stunned faces.

"Che," He scoffed as he glared at the crowd. "Would you idiots quit standing around gawking and get me a fucking med kit," he spat to no one in particular as he pulled the katana out of his torso and collapsed to the floor.

All at once everyone started moving and the room became quite chaotic. In the midst of all the chaos, Lenalee stood frozen as she recovered from her state of shock. She had not expected that outcome, but she was relieved that it was Kanda who had been run through by the sword. Not that she wanted him to get injured, she was actually attempting to prevent that very thing from happening. Her relief stemmed from the fact that it was Kanda, and because it was Kanda, she knew that in an hour or so he would be fine, due to his regenerative abilities. She watched as a couple of Finders got him the things he needed to stop the bleeding and bandage him up, concluding that he was fine she decided to take off after Renge.

It did not take her long to find her friend, she knew the older girl well enough to know that she would have headed straight for the dojo. Upon entering, the first thing Lenalee noticed was the absurd amount of wood chips and stuffing, she deduced that it was the result of Renge locking herself away in the dojo hours earlier, and was glad that she had successfully kept Lavi and Daisya at bay.

"Hey, what wrong?" she asked, taking a seat next to her dejected friend.

Renge exhaled slowly and turned to face the green haired girl. What was wrong? There was a lot wrong, most of it revolved around a certain blue haired exorcist, but if Lenalee had come to find her just to ask what was wrong, Renge could only assume that she had witnessed that lovely scene upstairs. "Remember that boy I told you about when we first met?"

Lenalee was not sure what that had to do with the current situation, but she decided that since Renge was willing to talk, she might as well go with the flow. "The one you saw at the Asian Branch who you were convinced was a ghost?"

"Yea, that one." Renge replied flatly as she fingered the wooden sword she had picked up when she entered the room. "Turns out he was real."

"Isn't that supposed to be a good thing?" The younger girl questioned. It had been years since her friend had brought up that mystery boy, and Lenalee had always assumed it would be a joyous occasion when Renge finally found him, but judging by her friend's tone, this evidently that was not the case.

Renge frowned. "In theory yes."

"But…?"

"But," she started, closing her eyes. "But evidently lies and deception run far too deep in this place."

Lenalee crinkled her nose at that cryptic response. "Yes, that is true. We both know that. But what does that have to do with what's going on?"

"Everything."

"Care to elaborate?"

Renge gave her friend a pointed look. "Not really." When that small determined frown formed on younger girl's lips, she gave the girl a small smile. "But, I know you won't leave me alone until I do, so I will. Anyway, so it has come to my attention that that boy is none other than our very own friendly exorcist, Mister Kanda Yuu."

"What!?" Lenalee exclaimed.

"Yup."

"So… that's why you attacked him?" She asked confused.

"Well, yes and no. It all goes back to the whole lies and deception thing. You see, during that last mission we were on, we got to talking and-"

"Wait." Lenalee interjected. "You guys _talked?_ "

"Yes," the older girl said deliberately. "Why? What did you think, we spent five days in awkward silence?"

"Well, yes." The green haired exorcist said, completely flabbergasted. "That's what missions with Kanda is usually like."

Renge nodded, as she recalled the short conversation in the cafeteria before she left for said mission. "Yea, you have mentioned that before, but that's not what happened. Which I had thought strange at the time, considering you had mentioned how difficult he was. But yea, when we got on the train he asked me a bunch of questions about when I became an exorcist and whatnot. Anyway-"

"Wait, wait, wait." The younger girl interrupted again, shaking her head as she attempted to process this new information. "You're telling me that not only did you guys talk, but he _initiated_ the conversation?"

"You know he's really not as bad as you guys all make him out to be."

"Really? He's not so bad. Says the person who felt the need to drive a sword through him." Lenalee said pointedly, crossing her arms.

"Ha, right that." The dark haired girl let out a small laugh. Somehow during their talk she had forgotten that she was still mad at him. Although, even factoring in the fact that he was a lying bastard, Renge was still inclined to believe that he was actually not as cold and callous as everyone made him out to be. Why everyone acted like Kanda was this horrible human being who stormed around stabbing everyone with his katana, was beyond her, even though for the most part he did in fact sulk around with a scowl permanently plastered on his face. Renge flashed her friend a sheepish smile and said, "That has nothing to do with how he is as a person."

"Uh-huh." Lenalee said with an almost knowing look in her eye. Renge can deny it all she wants, but Lenalee could tell that her friend harbored feelings for the foul tempered exorcist. It was not that she did not like the boy, he was in fact very dear friend to her, and despite his cold exterior she knew he had a caring heart. She had always appreciated the fact that he never questioned her moods or state of mind, and that even though she knew it irritated him, he always allowed her to vent and seek solace in his presence whenever that wretched man was around. It just surprised her that for some inexplicable reason Kanda actually made an effort with Renge. "So why'd you do it?"

Renge cleared her throat. "I was trying to get to that." She chuckled at the small apologetic smile that crept across Lenalee's face. "Anyway, so we talked. I think that was established. It was during this wonderful conversation of ours, in which he said ten words at most, that the Asian branch came up. He made a slight about how he hated the place, which eventually prompted me to ask him about that boy. Well he denied knowing anything and just let me ramble on and on about that wretched place."

"So how did you come to the conclusion that Kanda's the boy?"

"Marie told me."

"Wait what? Marie?" In a way Lenalee should have seen this coming, in fact it would explain Marie's strange behavior earlier and why he was so eager to see Renge impale Kanda. If Kanda had somehow conned Marie into revealing this fact to Renge, it would make sense why he was upset, not to mention why Renge was as livid was she was.

"Yes, Marie. Evidently, after listening to all I had to say, he decided that the best way to tell me was to get Marie to do it. Naturally, Marie was not very happy about this, and neither was I." Renge furrowed her brows, although she was feeling better, to say she was unhappy about this was an understatement. It still bothered her, why she had gotten so worked up over the whole thing to begin with, perhaps it was because it was the first time she had actually let her guard down and opened up to someone just to have it blow up in her face.

Lenalee frowned as her friend's pretty features transformed into a scowl. She understood why this would upset to Renge, they had talked about the Order and the things they had witnessed enough for her to know that Renge had a hard time trusting people. Why on earth Renge opened up to Kanda to begin with was beyond her, but then again if Kanda was in fact that boy, it would be understandable why she would have been drawn to him. "Well at least he had Marie tell you."

Renge scoffed, "Not really. All he did was suggest I ask Marie about that day again."

"Well maybe it was his roundabout way of telling you. I'm sure he didn't deny it to be malicious, and he probably felt bad about it so he found the best way to clear things up. I mean, I'm sure it was a very traumatic time for him, and knowing Kanda, he does not like to talk about his past." Lenalee offered.

The older girl stared intensely at her friend as she processed this new perspective. "You know, you're probably right." She finally said with a heavy sigh. "It was just a very stupid way of going about it. But I suppose it was somewhat justified. I never really considered his side or his feelings in all this, just mine, and how I hate being lie to. Although, to be fair, I knew from the very beginning that my anger was irrational." She chuckled softly to herself. "Although, stabbing him just felt so good."

"Remind me to never piss you off."

"What? I would never hurt you." Renge said pulling Lenalee into a hug. "Besides, I didn't hit anything vital, that and he's got that regenerative thing going. I'm sure he's fine."

Both girls jumped slightly when the door suddenly slid open and the very subject of their conversation entered. He shot Lenalee a _get out of here_ glare and then proceeded to take a seat on the other side of Renge. Understanding that the two of them needed a chance to talk, Lenalee patted her friend's arm before she leapt to her feet and exited the room, closing the door behind her.

"I'm sorry." Kanda said when the door slid shut.

Renge stared blankly at him, as she processed the fact that he had just apologized. That the person she just embedded her sword into just apologized to her. She wondered what Lenalee would think if she knew that he had just apologized. The apology worked though, coupled with the insight Lenalee had just left her with, Renge found that she was able to cast aside all the negative feelings she harbored and forgive him. "I'm sorry too, I may have overreacted a little."

He could not help the amused _heh_ that escaped his throat as he acknowledged her apology and admission to a _slight_ overreaction. Then again, who was he to say she overreacted, considering he was the type to pull his sword for even the smallest slight. Besides, it was not like the fact that she attacked him bothered Kanda at all. In fact he had found it rather exhilarating that he had finally found someone who could keep up with him.

She could not help but continue to stare at him as her heart pounded in her chest. Seven years of searching, of yearning for answers, and here he was, the object of her obsession, sitting beside to her. She could not begin to fathom what it meant that he was real, there were so many things she wanted to say to him, yet she found herself at a loss for words.

Over the years she had come to learn things about him, or rather things that surrounded that mystery boy lost in the halls of the Asian Branch. Eventually she had come to know the darkness that shrouded his very existence better than anyone, and now she finally understood why he despised that place so much, why the very existence of the Order infuriated him. It broke her to know of the immense pain he lived in everyday, and to know that there was absolutely nothing she could do to possibly alleviate that pain. In fact it had occurred to her that instead of attempting to understand his reasoning when she learned of his existence, she instead succumbed to her own selfish feelings and attacked him instead.

Although she did find it odd that he was evidently unfazed by this fact. Sure, being a second exorcist he had the regenerative seal which most likely minimized the damage she had done. Still, it was strange to see him calmly sitting there next to her, void of his usual air of irritation. Turning away from him she fiddled with the bokken on her lap, "So uh, how are you feeling?" She asked in an attempt to break the silence.

"Tch, like someone stabbed me in the gut." He deadpanned, attempting to sound annoyed, although the slight smirk on his face gave him away.

She rolled her eyes at his response, not so much at his words, but rather at the smirk which betrayed his demeanor. "Oh? I just thought that how we expressed our displeasure around here. From what I hear _someone_ pulled a sword on Lavi for calling him _Yuu_." She retorted with a sly smile.

"Don't even get me started with that stupid usagi." He said in a low growl, as his signature glower once again graced his perfectly sculpted face.

An impish smile spread across her lips as he clearly displayed his disdain for the red headed bookman. It amused her that he had disregarded the fact that she used his given name, but instead chose to focused on Lavi, or as he put it, the stupid rabbit. "So tell me _Yuu,_ " she said teasingly, "why so much anger toward Lavi using your name?"

He directed his glare toward her, "That idiot has no business using that name."

"Hmm," she mused, noting the fact that he once again did not react to the fact that she had just called him Yuu. "And why's that?" She pressed.

"Tch," he scoffed turning away from her. "I despise the time period that name is associated with."

"Oh," she said as the smile on her face waned. "I'm sorry, I'll stop using it."

"Do whatever you want."

"Huh? You mean you don't care if I use it?"

Kanda huffed. "It's different with you. In a way you are associated with that time. I guess that's what makes it okay." It was the best he could do to explain why it did not bother him. With her he found a sort of peace he had never known in his life, so when it came to her nothing she could do would actually bother him, but he could not say that to her. Although he never met her back then, she was in his mind still associated with that time in his life, though he could not help but wonder if life would have been different if he actually met her back then. Not that it mattered at the moment, she was here now, and that was all that really mattered.

Renge could not help the smile that spread across her face. Different eh? She liked different, considering he too was different to her. Everything about him defied logic, and she had never expected to get so caught up with someone so easily. But with him it all just seemed so natural, with him she was able discard her mask and allow herself to just be. "So," she said, flashing him a devious smile as her hand closed around the handle of the bokken. "Healed yet?"

"Naturally," He replied, returning her smile with a smirk, and had half a mind to counter that wooden sword she held with his Mugen. Then again, that would result in the match ending much sooner than he would like so he crossed the room and grabbed a stray bokken.

* * *

 _A/N: Sorry this took so long. I actually hate doing dialogue, so that took a lot out of me. Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows._


	5. Birthday

" _Renge where are you?_ "

Renge huffed as her golem went off for the third time that hour. "I just got off the train at the station. Impatient much?" She responded, slightly irritated.

" _I'm sorry, but you need to get here fast. We're running out of time._ "

"What in the world are you talking about? Running out of time? Koumi's birthday is not for another week." This mad rush to get to the order made absolutely no sense to her. Sure Lenalee probably had a lot to take care of in preparation for her brother's birthday. It was a known fact that the Lee siblings went all out for birthdays, but she could not figure out why in God's name she needed to get there a week early. Not to mention why Lenalee had been in her ear for the better part of the day inquiring about her whereabouts every fifteen minutes or so. Did her friend not understand she only had three days to make a trip which should have taken closer to four if she had not over exerted herself.

" _It's a surprise, but you have to get here quickly before we lose our window._ "

"I'm moving as fast as I can. What more do you want me to do? Use my innocence?" The dark haired exorcist asked in exasperation as she took off from the station, mustering as much speed as she could.

" _If that would get you here faster, yes._ "

"Really? You guys are usually pretty adamant against that." Renge said with as she skidded to a stop. The prospect of being able to fly verses run filled her with an inexplicable amount of joy. For starters she was already exhausted, and being able to cut her time down by twenty some odd minutes delighted her, besides it had been far too long since she was last able to truly unfurl her wings and take flight. It was one thing to take flight in the midst of battle, it was an entirely different thing to take flight for the sake of flying. She wished that the Order would allow her to use her innocence any way she pleased, unfortunately they claimed it drew too much attention and it was frowned upon. Not that the Order's disapproval of things ever stopped her from doing them, it was just on this point she had to agree with them. Admittedly, it was an unrealistic means for long term travel as she would run out of stamina before she could reach her destination, besides it would be counter productive to use all her energy flying and not be able to successfully defeat the Akuma should they attack.

" _If it means you can get here within the next ten minutes, then yes, please do that._ "

"I don't know why you need me there that quickly, but I like it already!" She exclaimed. "Innocence activate." At those words, a magnificent pair of white wings erupted from her back and she smiled as she flexed her wings and leapt into the air.

The warm summer air rustled through her wings as she gracefully glided toward the looming tower. There was always something about looking down from the city at such a height that made her heart soar, and for a moment, forget all about her pending responsibilities. Renge highly disliked the current mission she had been tasked with, there were just too many variables, and every infiltration left her with a sense of unease. Sure her stealth was unrivaled, but she was dealing with the Noah here, and there was simply too little intelligence on them. So far they have been lucky, and have made a lot of progress with minimal interruption, but she was wary that their luck would run dry any day, besides there was still the whole issue with the 14th. She was delighted when Lenalee contacted her earlier that week, begging her to come by Headquarters to help her plan Komui's thirtieth birthday party. Dropping by Headquarters for a week was actually a welcomed break from her current situation, besides, _he_ would most likely be there.

Him, Kanda, the greatest mystery of her life, solved. Once upon a time she thought that finding him would help eradicate the hate in her heart, but the fleeting moments she spent with him only solidified her hate and made the crimes of the Order that much more unforgivable. Unlike her other friends, she understood his hatred and his murderous rage, she understood that beyond that cold exterior there was a broken boy inside. His soul screamed out to her and it broke her that she had to leave so abruptly the last time she was there, especially considering the fact that she had just impale him on a katana. Although evidently that fact did not faze him, and he turned out to the best sparring partner she had ever known. It was nice to have an excuse to spend some time with him again.

Meanwhile, the scowl on Kanda's face intensified as he entered the threshold of the cafeteria. The brazen _Happy Birthday, Kanda_ sign irritated him and once again reminded him of why he hated this day so much. He had hoped that for once Lenalee would leave him alone, but no, she decided to gather everyone in a feeble attempt to celebrate his birthday. It irked him that despite the fact that he had made it perfectly clear for the past five years that he despised his birthday, she still found it necessary to celebrate it. Casting her a glare as he passed her, he proceeded to ignore what was going on and ordered his soba, pretending that there was nothing out of the ordinary.

Nervously Lenalee toggled her golem again, she knew how much Kanda hated his birthday, yet despite that fact she could not help but want to celebrate it. Birthdays meant a lot to her, they meant that they had all survived another year at the Order, that the Earl had not won, that her world was still intact, that her family still surrounded her. She knew she was being selfish, but she did not care, at least this year she was sure that he would appreciate the thought. That being said, she knew she only had a limited amount of time to pull off the biggest birthday surprise of the century. "Renge where are you?" She asked desperately.

" _I just got off the train at the station. Impatient much?"_

She glanced over at the looming aura of hate making his way over to a nearby table and felt her anxiety rise. Yes, she was impatient. The train station was at least a thirty minute trek, twenty, if one really pushed oneself, either way, there was no way Kanda would stay that long. "I'm sorry, but you need to get here fast. We're running out of time."

" _What in the world are you talking about? Running out of time? Koumi's birthday is not for another week."_

"It's a surprise, but you have to get here quickly before we lose our window." Lenalee replied quickly. She was tempted to tell Renge what was going on, she was sure that there was no way her friend would be opposed to the plan, but decided that the element of surprise was much more amusing.

" _I'm moving as fast as I can. What more do you want me to do? Use my innocence?"_

Contemplating that question for a moment the young exorcist decided to use her brother's authority and her position as his assistant to approve the request. "If that would get you here faster, yes." She was sure her brother would not mind if they broke the rules just once, besides, it was only about five miles, hopefully nothing would go awry.

" _Really? You guys are usually pretty adamant against that."_

The young exorcist let out a sigh. Renge had a point, they were pretty adamant against that, but then again, people use their innocence out of context all the time, especially Kanda. Speaking of Kanda, she watched as he began eating his soba, steadily making a dent in the noodles, and she was desperate. "If it means you can get here within the next ten minutes, then yes, please do that."

" _I don't know why you need me there that quickly, but I like it already!"_

"Do you think she'll make it in time?" The red haired Junior Bookman asked as the golem clicked off.

"I hope so," Lenalee started somewhat dejectedly. "But," she added as a sly smile spread across her lips, "in case she doesn't, go aggravate him so he'll pick a fight and stay longer."

"What? Why me?"

"Because, we all know you're capable of it."

They watched anxiously as he continued to eat his lunch, and although they knew he was not eating faster nor slower than usual, to them it felt like he was inhaling his food. Kanda on the other hand was already at his wits end. It took everything within his power to keep his air of indifferent and not go over there and slice those two idiots to pieces. Without ever looking up from his food he could feel their eyes following his every move, aggravating him without even having to be near him.

Suddenly Lenalee's golem clicked on, just as Kanda finished his lunch and placed his chopsticks neatly on top of the dish.

" _Um, Lenalee, I'm here… where is everyone?_ "

Barely able to contain her joy she quickly shoved Lavi toward the temperamental exorcist, hopefully buying themselves enough time. "YOU'RE HERE!" She yelled a little too excitedly, "Great. Hurry to the cafeteria."

" _Okay… what is this all about anyway?"_

"You'll find out soon enough. Just HURRY."

Putting on his most playful face Lavi trotted over to Kanda and braced himself for what he was about to put himself through. "Happy birthday Yuu!~" He exclaimed, slapping Kanda on the back.

Unable to contain his wrath any longer, the blue haired exorcist quickly unsheathed Mugen and swung at the impish Bookman. "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO NOT CALL ME THAT YOU IDIOT RABBIT!" He screamed, as his sword connected with the handle of Lavi's Iron Hammer.

"Now, now, Yuu, no reason to get all worked up. Afterall, it's your birthday!~"

Kanda let out a low growl as he glared at Lavi and proceeded to sheathe his sword. A part of him wanted to skewer the red headed rabbit on principle, but he decided it was not worth his time, as this was clearly a ploy to keep him around. The indigent look on the stupid rabbit's face was compensation enough. Honestly, they were so transparent, and he could not for the life of him figure out why they were so hell bent on celebrating his birthday anyway.

"Kanda please, just five more minutes." Lenalee pleaded as he turned to leave.

"Che," he scoffed, brushing her off. "I don't understand why you insist of doing this every year." He said through gritted teeth. Kanda felt sorry for her, for her attachments to this place, for her need to hold on to the people around her. Did she not understand that this place reeked of death, that his _birth_ was nothing worth celebrating as he should never have existed to begin with.

Lenalee cast him a sad smile, from what she knew of the second exorcist project, she understood why he hated his birthday, all she wanted was for him to know that despite that, he was loved. Unfortunately she could never find the right words to express that to him, so after all these years it was simply left unsaid. As she contemplated what to do to get him to stay, she saw Renge enter and a bright smile took over her face. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" She yelled suddenly, tossing a handful of confetti at him.

"Seriously, STOP THIS ALREADY." He growled as he shook the confetti from his hair.

"Hope you like your present." She continued, ignoring his outburst.

"Che, I don't want your presents." He spat.

"Are you sure?" The bright-eyes girl cooed.

Refusing to ratify that question with an answer, he let out another scoff and turned to leave again, only to be rendered frozen by _her_ presence. He did not need to know where she was to know she was there, he could feel her in his soul, something about her consumed every fiber of his being and drew him in. A little part of him wanted to retract his previous statement and give Lenalee the biggest hug, evidently he did want her present, assuming her present was Renge.

In an instant he crossed the room, roughly grabbed the startled girl by the arm, and barked "let's go," before he proceeded to drag her out of the room. He was rather upset when she left so abruptly the last time she was there for there were still too many things he wanted to ask her. Too many things he needed to learn; about her past, her present, her future, her everything. Before he even realized what he was doing they were entering the quiet dojo, and suddenly he was all too aware of her presence. It was almost suffocating this need he had for her, and their proximity suddenly put him on edge.

Renge was not sure what to make of the situation, as he descended upon her and dragged her out of the room. She was more than happy to go with him, but a little part of her wanted to check in with Lenalee first, and find out what on earth was going on. Although when she stopped to think about it for five seconds, it was blatantly obvious that the big rush to get there was due to the fact that they were celebrating Kanda's birthday, and evidently he was not having it. Honestly though, the girl could have just told her that this was the grand plan. Renge would have been more than happy to play the part of his birthday present, in fact had she known she would have wore something very different, perhaps that was why Lenalee kept her in the dark.

When he abruptly dropped her arm once they were safely situated in the confines of the dojo she could almost feel the tension that surrounded him. "So," she said, in an attempt to cut the tension, "I hear it's your birthday."

"Tch," he scoffed, "don't remind me."

She frowned sadly at the bitterness in his voice. Knowing what she knew about the accursed _Sixth Institute_ , she could understand why the day of his birth would bother him so much. It was a constant reminder for him that he was not supposed to exist, at least not in this setting, he was dead once, and the soul now tethered to him would probably have preferred it that way. Still, Lenalee must do this every year, that girl had a thing for birthdays and celebrations. They meant something entirely different to her, Renge could understand why those two would never come to terms over something like this. "I'm sorry, it must be hard." She said, apologizing for her friend's actions. "But, I'm sure you know she means well. It's her way of showing her love."

He shot her a glare. "I don't need her love."

Renge chuckled as she picked out two bokkens and tossed one over to him. She could not quite explain it, but the way he glared at her and the amount of venom he put into those words told her that he meant quite the opposite of what he said. "Of course you don't." She said sardonically. "Because brooding alone in the dark is far more pleasant than actually having friends. God forbid someone cared about you."

"I don't brood in the dark." He replied defensively, as he caught the wooden sword. "I meditate."

"Right, because that's different."

Choosing to ignore her comment, he stared down at the bokken as a devilish thought crossed his mind. "Want to use real swords instead?"

"Why so I can stab you again?" She asked cheekily with an impish grin, even though she knew her chances were slim.

"Ha, unlikely." He retorted as a playful smirk danced across his lips. "It just makes things more interesting."

"As long as we both use regular katanas, no Mugen."

"Deal."

As soon as they started dueling he instantly regretted his decision to use actual steel. Not that he was concerned that either one of them would be seriously injured, but because they were using actual weapons, both of them went into battle mode. Which meant that his desire for conversation was thrown out the window. She was a good opponent though, and that fact almost made up for his inability to hear her speak.

A little part of him wanted to let her win, but his pride as a swordsman kept him from following through with that desire. So the match finally ended when he successfully nicked her on the arm, drawing blood.

"Whoa there Yuu, she's a lady, you didn't have to go and cut her."

They both snapped their heads toward the sound of Lavi's voice, but before either one of them could respond, Renge suddenly collapsed to the floor.

"Yuu! What the hell man!?" Lavi cried as he and Lenalee raced toward the semi-conscious girl.

"Fuck you Rabbit, this was not my fault." Kanda spat and to the astonishment of the other two, he picked her up without being prompted or with complaint. The moment her weight settled in his arms he realized what he had just done, not that he regretted his decision, quite the opposite really. Everything about her intoxicated him, from her scent, to the way she felt nestled against him, and it was enough for him to disregard the knowing leers from those other two idiots.

Renge chuckled softly as she attempted to shake off her fatigue and enjoy her current position "Actually," She said weakly, "if we're pointing fingers here, this is probably Lenalee's fault." Not that she was complaining, because honestly, despite the stinging in her arm and the blood causing her sleeve to stick uncomfortably, she would have to say she was pretty happy with where she was at. Sure, being drained of all your energy is a little well, exhausting, but the brightside was she was now comfortably situated in the arms of the one person she desired to be with the most in the world.

"Heh," Lenalee exhaled as she smiled sheepishly, "Sorry. I actually anticipated this happening, so I brought you a snack." She said placing the bag of sweets she had grabbed before they headed over to the dojo onto her friend.

"Oh, thanks love." She said, graciously taking out a pastry and shoving one into her mouth. The sticky mochi helped revive her a little, and even though she would still like a large dinner, a long bath, and to sleep for the next week, for the moment, everything was right with the world, well everything except that throbbing in her arm. "Can we do something about this arm now?"

Grabbing a first aid kit, Lenalee and Lavi helped bandage the cut while she finished the rest of the sweets. Feeling much better, she reluctantly shifted and leaned in close to whispered, "thanks, Yuu," before she lept out of his arms, landing softly on her feet.

"Well that was fun," Renge said with a bright smile, "but before I pass out again, dinner." Giving Kanda a warm smile before leaving, she said, "By the way Kanda, I'll drop off your present later."

"Che, whatever." He scoffed attempting to sound as uninterested at possible.

* * *

a/n: sorry this took so long. writer's block and all. but... they'll be a lot of Kanda fluff from here on out... hope you enjoyed. :D


	6. Sake

"Happy birthday, again." Renge said, holding out a bottle of sake when he finally opened the door.

Kanda stared blankly at her, not that he was surprised to see her there, considering the fact that she did say she would drop by later, but because he was simply perplexed by her choice of present. "You know I'm seventeen right?"

Renge let out a lighthearted laugh as she pushed past him and settled down on his bed. "So? I'm only sixteen. Besides, this was one of the only things I had on me that could remotely pass as a present… then again, I could always just give you one of my yukatas and call it a day. I'm sure you'd look lovely in it." She said with a playful grin as she popped the cork off the bottle and poured two glasses.

"Tch," he scoffed, letting the door close and crossed the room, taking a seat next to her, choosing to ignore her last comment. "Why are you opening someone else's birthday present? What if I didn't want to drink it now?" He asked, relieving her of a glass.

"Hmm..." she mused with a bright smile. "Do you alway say the opposite of what you mean?"

"No." He retorted defiantly, shooting back the shot of sake. He had not been sure what to expect from the drink, but the smooth cold liquid slide down his throat, leaving him with a light lingering taste of sweetness. "Not that I have a lot, or any for that matter, experience with sake, but I'd have to say, it's pretty good."

" _Pretty good_?" She asked in disbelief. "You realize this is the best sake money can buy right? I mean seriously, do you even know how hard it is to get in and out of Edo!? Besides, it's papa's favorite, and papa knows his liquor."

"Wait, you gave me your father's sake?"

"What? No. Are you insane? Of course not. I'm not suicidal." She said taking a long sip, savoring the taste. "I got this for him the last time I was in Edo, I just haven't had a chance to get it to him. He doesn't even know of its existence, if he did there'd be hell to pay."

"So why give it to me?" He asked, holding out his glass for a refill, making sure to drink it slowly this time so he could really appreciate the flavors.

"Because I was tired of lugging it around the world. Do you know how hard it is to stop myself from drinking it?" Renge flashed him an impish grin as she refilled her own glass. "Besides, I'll just get him another one the next time I'm in Edo."

Edo huh? He was aware that she made frequent stops in Asia, but he had not been aware that she went to Japan that often. That country situated on the other side of the world closed off from everything. He had no memories of that place, despite the fact that he had been informed that Japan was his country of origin, or at least it was the country of origin for the body he currently occupied. Then again, considering the fact that they had replaced his brain with someone else's it was no wonder he did not have any recollections of that place. "You seem to go there often." He found himself saying, wondering what that place meant to her. "You mentioned spending a lot of time at _that place_ too."

"Huh? Yea, I guess." She said, downing the rest of her glass. "I'm actually from Edo, though that was a long time ago…" It was not that she did not like thinking about her past, it was that she could not quite remember anything before she turned five, except her mother's smiling face. The past few years have brought her back to her country of origin more often than she would like, and honestly Edo made her more uneasy than anything else ever did. Perhaps it was the overwhelming amount of Akuma, or the fact that she could feel the power radiating from that place, but a little part of her thinks it has more to do with the past she cannot remember.

Kanda watched as the mirth slowly drained from her face, it was unsettling, the expression she was making, he much rather prefered her smile. He frowned as the sake made its way through his system, warming him on the inside, and making it harder for him to keep his mask in place. Although, if he were being honest, when it came to her, he found that it was much easier for him to discard his mask and bare his soul.

"So," she said, shaking the melancholy from her face and breaking the awkward silence which followed the Edo question, "IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!" The glare he shot her at that exclamation, only made her laugh that much harder. "Lighten up Yuu, have some more sake."

He did not hesitate to hold out his glass, although he did made it a point to not relax the scowl on his face. "Seriously, you and Lenalee have a strange fixation on birthdays."

"No not really, Lenalee has a strange fixation on birthdays, I could honestly care less. It really is just so much fun ruffling your feathers. But," she added, slowly sipping her drink for a dramatic pause, "you have to admit, she did good this year."

"Oh?" Kanda could not help the amused smirk which danced across his lips, "and why do you say that?"

"For starters she got you to smile…"

"I'm not smiling."

"Smile, smirk, what's the difference really. You use the same muscles."

"You're impossible."

"Impossibly captivating? Yea, I know." She retorted with a smile. "And you… I suppose I can see why they all think you're this horrible and impossible person to get along with. Mister I'm always going to scowl and say the exact opposite of what I mean."

"Tch, what do you mean _they_?" He asked in a growl. The last thing he needed was to have those idiots fill her head with unfounded opinions about him. It was not his fault that he came off as cold, aggressive, and uncaring. If they were not always so goddamn loud and annoying he would not have to go off on them all the time, beside it was unfair of them to warn her, someone he just met, about his so-called temperament.

His irritation made her giggle, not that she was happy that he was annoyed, but because it made him so easy to read. "You know, Lenalee, Lavi, Daisya… although Marie told them they were wrong… Oh and Daisya, he was the one who mentioned how fun it was to get you riled up."

"Che, those idiots." He spat, wondering what it was she actually thought of him, despite what her friends said. "What do you think?" He accidently slipped, although he could blame the sake for loosening his tongue he knew it was not the case, besides he had found himself in a very similar position the first time they met, and back then there was no sake involved.

"Think about what?" She asked feigning ignorance as she continued to sip her drink.

No amount of alcohol in the world could make him answer that question, although the alcohol did make it impossible for him to suppress the blush that spread across his face. "Nothing." He said quickly downing what was left of his glass.

"Well," she said leaning into him, "I think I like it when you smile."

"Heh," he scoffed with a slight grin. "It's a shame I don't smile."

"A shame indeed." Renge said with a smile. This was nice, a very welcomed break from the stress she was under for the past few months. That and the alcohol helped her relax and filled her with a warm bubble feeling, it also evidently relaxed him too since it was clear to her that he was beginning to lose that cold composure he usually had such a good handle on. It filled her stomach with butterflies every time she glanced over at him and caught that subtle smile on his lips. He did not notice it, but whenever he was not purposely scowling he was actually kind of smiling, and it was enough for her to conclude that drinking that bottle of sake was totally worth it.

They sat there in a comfortable silence for a while while they continued to slowly sip their glasses. He was trying very hard to ignore the pressure of her body pressed upon his right side, and she was trying very hard to get him to acknowledge the fact that he wanted the same thing as her, and that he should probably give in.

"Hey, I'm really sorry about last time by the way." She said, breaking the silence. As they were sitting there, pleasantly lost in their own thoughts, enjoying each other's company, she could not help but think about the last time they met, and that unpleasant feeling of rage.

"Hm? You mean the katana in the gut?" He said with an actual smile. "Please don't worry about that. It was fun."

"No, not that, that I'd do again if I could." She said returning his smile, not that she ever could, the match they had earlier proved that, but perhaps with enough training she could get close again. She let out a heavy sigh and emptied the remaining droplets of sake into her glass. "I'm sorry for getting that angry over something I really shouldn't have been angry about."

"You had every right to be angry." He said as he took the empty bottle and glass from her and placed it on the table before settling back down next to her. "I really shouldn't have made Marie tell you. I just wasn't ready to talk about my past."

"And you are now?" She questioned, not that she was going to ask. There was no need to dive into that darkness when they could just sit here in the light, besides, there was not much he could possibly say that she did not already know. The Order may have tried to keep the Asia Sixth Institute secret, but with a little magic and whole lot of stealth, she had learned more than she ever cared to know.

"No, not really."

"Didn't think so." She said with a reassuring smile, "but don't worry, I have no intention of asking you."

Kanda sighed as he stared off into the distance, trying very hard to not meet her gaze. No, he was not quite ready to talk about his past, what he wanted more than anything to know about her's. A million questions swam through his mind, like where did she come from, what made her laugh, why black sesame, how long was she at the Asian Branch, how did she find out about the second exorcist project, but the strangest question was the one which made its way onto his lips. "Did you know Alma?"

She stared blankly at him for a moment as she processed his question. Alma, eh? It had been years since she last heard that name, Alma, the reason she perfected her stealth. "I thought we weren't going to talk about your past." She said with a slight chuckle.

"Che," he scoffed, giving her a slight smirk. "I'm not asking about my past, I'm asking about yours."

"If you say so." Renge said knowingly as she recalled all those years she spent at the Asia branch. "Alma, I met him a couple of times. The first time I saw him I was so happy to have finally found someone my own age in that massive place. I think my existence confused him so much. He kept asking me when I woke up, how was it that he had missed it, how was it that he didn't know my name or who I was, all sorts of crazy things that did not make sense at the time, but eventually he just gave up and told me his name was Alma with a bright smile. I think I was instantly drawn to him because it was so evident that he was surrounded by a loneliness which resembled my own. Only back then I had no idea how much deeper and more painful his was. He had so many questions about everything, which was quite overwhelming for the nine year old me, but I tried to tell him everything he wanted to know about _the outside world_.

The second time we met it was almost Christmas. I was so excited to see him because it had been a couple of weeks since I first met him and I was beginning to think that he didn't really exist. He was so adorable, eating all the things in the kitchen, so when he picked up a croquette I helped him out by putting some mayonaise on it. His face lit up like a Christmas tree and you could almost see the joy permeate through his whole being. Man, he ended up putting it on everything just to see what it would taste like."

"Tch, so you're the one who introduced him to mayonnaise. He put that crap on everything."

"I don't know if you can say I _introduced_ him to it, all I did was put it on a dish which required it. I mean yes, he ended up developing a rather unhealthy relationship with the condiment, but that was not my fault. It's a shame really, I never got to witness his reaction when I hid all the mayonnaise they had, just so I could mess with him."

Kanda scoffed as he shot her a glare. "So that was you."

"Wait, you were there?" She asked with a glint of excitement in her eye.

"Assuming it was you that time they were surprisingly out of mayonnaise, yes. He never suspected you though, in fact I don't ever recall him mentioning you."

Renge let out a sigh. "Yea, I'm not surprised, I kinda just disappeared on him. Like I said, I only met him a couple of times, the last time I saw him it was late April, I tried to convince him to come with me to the courtyard so that he could witness first hand the flowers which were beginning to bloom. He resisted at first, but I kept pestering him to come because Noise Marie was there, and I kept going on about how amazing Marie's Noel Organ was. He ultimately relented and I tried to sneak him out, which was a huge mistake.

We didn't even get down one corridor before Chief Twi caught us. She literally dragged me out of there while reprimanding me the whole time. She lectured me for hours and threatened to send me away if I ever tried to find him again. I was so angry and confused, it didn't make any sense to me why I should be forbidden to play with the only person there that was remotely my age. I mean what harm could someone as bright and innocent as Alma do?" She could feel the tears begin to well in her eyes as a frown tugged at the corner of her lips. It still angered her to know that that despicable place existed. That they had to exist in that living hell, and that how someone as bright as Alma was shrouded in such utter darkness. It was not fair that even the boy who radiated such light could not keep that bitter darkness at bay, and that his light had to be tainted crimson and so unjustly extinguished.

"So you never went back to the Sixth Laboratory after that?" He asked, although he could already guess the answer.

"No, not directly. I was pretty convinced Chief Twi was serious about banishing me if I ever went there again, considering that was what papa told me. It took a while, but I eventually figured out how to use my innocence to master stealth. I was still scared of getting caught so the first time I tested it out I made it as far as the kitchen, and stole all the mayonnaise… Like I said it was a shame I didn't stick around long enough to see his reaction, just think, I could have met you." She said with a small laugh.

"Yes, you could have." He gave her a small smile. If she had stuck around that time they all would have met? What would life have been like if that happened? Would everything have ended the way it did? Would Alma still be with them now? Then again what would their dynamic have been like? His past memories were just beginning to surface at that time, and it was the trigger to everything. Would Renge's presence have been able to prevent the emergence of those memories at that time, or would things have progressed the same way regardless. It was useless to think of these things now, such thoughts was of no consequence now, for it cannot change anything that has already transpired.

"That would have been so fun. I bet you were adorable as a kid."

"Heh, I don't think you would have liked me as a kid." He said knowingly.

"I don't know," she said playfully, and to his surprise, rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm sure I would have liked you plenty. I mean I like you plenty now, I don't see why I wouldn't have liked you back then."

"I was kind of bitter and angry back then…" He said, trying very hard to ignore the closeness of her face to his.

"Hmmm," she hummed softly. "Yes, very different than you are now."

"Tch," Kanda scoffed as he attempted to figure out whether or not she was being sarcastic. It was true that he had a slight tendency to lose his temper and he may or may not have pointed his blade at a few people, but for the most part he felt that he tolerated people better now than the did back then. Especially when it came to Renge. Never once did he feel that rage emerge when she was around, to him she was this bright shining light which illuminated the dark abyss of his heart.

Renge smiled at his response as she closed her eyes and just reveled in his warmth. It was so soothing to know that he was in fact real, that he was something she could tangibly touch and not this fleeting image that had haunted her for so many years. It had been such a long day, well three days, and his warmth seeped into her bones, causing the fatigue to slowly creep in and take over. If it were up to her, they would just stay like this forever.

"Hey, are you falling asleep on me?" He asked in disbelief as he felt her body relax against his.

"What? No." She replied groggily, as she began to succumb to the lull of sleep again.

"Liar."

Forcing her eyes open, she straightened up and looked into his eye. "Evidently, I learn from the best."

"Tch," he scoffed, as he stood up and extended his hand to her. "Come on, I'll walk you back to your room."

"Ugh, too far." She replied, swatting his hand away.

He watched in dismay as she kicked off her shoes and proceeded to make herself comfortable in his bed. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Going to bed."

"Don't go deciding on your own that you can just sleep in my bed." He said as he attempted to pull the sheets she was burrowing herself into, off of her.

"Oh come on Yuu." She whined, rolling into the sheets making it more difficult for him . "I'm already comfortable and my room is _soooo_ far."

"No." He said firmly as he finally succeeded in pulling the sheets off of her. "First of all, you room cannot be that far, and secondly, that bed is far too small for two people."

"But Yuu," she whinned, giving him her most ardent pout, the one she reserved for her father whenever she desperately wanted something. "My room _is_ that far. It's alllll the way at the top of the tower, besides, this bed is plenty big enough for the both of us."

"Che, you're impossible." He said in exasperation.

Taking that as consensus, Renge yanked the sheets from his hand, and returned to burrowing into his bed. "Yea, I know, we've gone over that already."

Kanda halfheartedly glared at the girl cocooning herself in his bed, the way he saw it he had three options, and neither one of them involved her voluntarily returning to her room. As he was not in the mood of carrying her to, and well finding her room, nor just dropping her outside his door, he finally conceded to letting her stay. As he relaxed into the space she had reserved for him, he felt her body shift as she turned to face him.

"Happy birthday, again." She said softly, giving him a small smile before she closed her eyes again and let sleep take over.

He could not help the smile which broke out across his face as he stared at her serene sleeping face. For the first time since Alma helped pull him out of that hole, it was a good birthday, and for the first time since he awoke, he actually felt happy.

* * *

 _a/n: This was hard to write, as I tried to keep everything as canon as possible. Let me know if you felt Kanda was too OOC (although to be fair, he's quite buzzed), or if you felt the Alma past was too unnatural. I wonder if you can guess who her "father" is by now... ;D Thanks for reading and all the faves/follows so far._


	7. Chapter 7

Mornings were not her favorite, especially mornings after a night of heavy drinking, and especially not mornings in which she was ungracefully pulled from her slumber. Renge growled as the incessant pounding on the door aggravated the pounding in her head. It had been a while since she last had a hangover, and she was not happy. Throwing back the sheets she forced herself out of bed and stormed over to the door, violently opening it. "What!?" she snarled, regretting her decision immediately as a sharp pain shot through her head.

"Hey, Yuu-" Lavi started as the door forcibly opened just as he was about to knock again. To say he was confused was an understatement. Sure, the person who opened the door had long dark hair and straight fringe, sure the annoyance and venom laced in their words would rival something that came out of his mouth, but unless Kanda mysteriously turned into a girl over night the person who opened the door was certainly not Kanda.

"This _is_ Yuu's room right?" The Junior Bookman whispered to Lenalee, as he attempted to rationalize why a clearly disheveled Renge was standing at the door in lieu of their temperamental friend.

Lenalee suppressed a laugh as she nodded. This was indeed Kanda's room, and that was certainly _not_ Kanda standing at the door, which could only mean that Kanda did indeed like his birthday present. This was going to be an amusing week.

Glaring at her once dear friends, Renge huffed and slammed the door shut, silently cursing herself for doing so, as that also did not help the splitting headache she was nursing. Mumbling a few enchantments she sealed the door so sound could not penetrate it and then stumbled back into bed. Pulling the sheets around her, she once again cocooned herself into the bed, and it was in that moment that it dawned upon her where she actually was. As his scent enveloped her, she could feel a warmth radiate throughout her body and for a brief moment all was right in the world.

Kanda was not amused when he rounded the corner to see a group of all the people he wanted to see the least gathered outside his door. Although, he did raise an eyebrow in amusement when the door suddenly opened and a very irate Renge glowered at them. He was too far to make out their exchange, but judging by the dumbfounded expressions left on the idiot brigade's faces when the door slammed in their faces, he could only conclude that she did not offer them much in the way of an explanation.

A slight smirk quickly flashed across his lips before his usual scowl set in as he closed the distance between them. "The fuck are you guys doing outside my door?" He barked as he pushed past them and entered his room, slamming the door behind him before they could even answer.

A low growl escaped the pile of blankets on his bed as the door slammed shut. It had been a long time since she last had a hangover, and she was not enjoying one second of it. Peering out from under his covers she tried her hardest to soften the scowl on her face, but found it impossible as the throbbing in her head refused to relent. "You wouldn't happen to have some water would you?"

"No…" he said as he studied the pained expression on her face. "Are you okay?"

Letting out a scoff she threw the blankets off and swung her legs over the side of his bed, burying her head in her hands. "Yes, fine. Just hungover. Water would have been nice." Looking up she flashed him a weak smile.

"Sorry, no water, but I got you this." He said, tossing her the jubako boxes he had wrapped in a furoshiki.

Unwrapping the cloth, her face lit up as she stared down at three boxes packed with black sesame mochi cakes. "I love you." she said as she bit into the soft smooth mochi. It was not water, and could not help her with her dehydration, but it did fill her stomach with something other than sake, besides, it was her all time favorite comfort food.

A light blush found its way onto Kanda's cheeks as she murmured those endearing words, even though he was not quite sure if they were directed toward him or the boxes of pastries littered around her. Either way, he felt a warmth pool in his stomach as his heartbeat increased. "So what's your deal with daifuku anyway?" He asked, as a means to distract himself.

Renge shrugged as she shoved another piece into her mouth. "What's your deal with soba?" She retorted after swallowing.

"I don't have a deal with soba." He replied flatly, refusing to admit he had a problem.

"Umhmm." she hummed knowingly, devouring another mochi. "You sure ask a lot of questions..."

"No I don't."

She chuckled softly to herself. "You're a horrible liar." She said, tossing the empty boxes aside, sated. "To answer your question, I guess it's because they remind me of my mother."

"Your mother?"

"Yes, my mother. You know, the woman who gave birth to me…" her voice trailed off. No, maybe he did not know, being a second exorcist and all. Straightening up, her features relaxed as the pounding in her head had subsided significantly thanks to the treat he brought her. Softening her eyes she looked up at him again. "My mother died when I was really young, which is why I ended up at the Asia branch. Papa didn't want me at Headquarters, if it were up to him he would have kept me as far away from the Order as possible, but he wanted to keep me close to home, and it was unrealistic to keep me in Edo considering... so I ended up at the Asia Branch. Anyway, I don't remember much about my mother, only fleeting images here and there, and what papa would tell me about her. What I do remember is black sesame daifukumochi, which was rare, because the filling is usually a red or white bean paste, so the black sesame really stood out in my mind. Whenever I eat them I could almost see her smiling face and feel her arms around me keeping me safe and warm."

"Hn," he grunted at her explanation, unsatisfied with the answer, not that he really had any real expectations to what the answer was, nor did it really mattered. What bothered him was the fact that something so insignificant could conjure up such strong feelings within her, feelings he could not even begin to fanthom. _Warm and safe_ ; a sentiment, which until quite recently was foreign, no, nonexistent to him. A sentiment which filled his being and consumed his soul every time he looked at her. He resented the fact that a mere object could invoke such feelings within her, but the truth was, he secretly desired to fill that role.

Stretching she stood up and quickly ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing out the knots. "Those three are probably still standing outside aren't they?" She mused out loud.

"Che," Kanda scoffed in affirmation. "Most likely. What did you even say to them earlier?"

"What."

"I asked, what you said to them."

"What." She repeated, suppressing a giggle.

"Tch." He spat, annoyed by her antics, refusing to repeat himself again.

"Oh lighten up Yuu." She cooed, thoroughly enjoying the fact that he was so easy to mess with. "I literally said _what_."

"Oh," he said calming down slightly. "You could have just said that."

"I did." She retorted impishly.

Letting out a slight growl he mumbled, "you're impossible."

A smile broke across her face as she recalled bits of their conversation from the night before. "Yes yes, I'm impossibly captivating. I know, we went over that last night." She teased.

He halfheartedly glared at her. She was indeed impossibly captivating, so much so that it made his head hurt. His heart was undoubtedly drawn to her, in fact every fiber of his being was drawn to her, his very soul cried out to her, but somewhere deep in his mind fleeting images of another woman remained. A woman, and a promise, who for the life of him he could not shake from his mind. "Your words, not mine."

Renge let out a laugh, "Whatever you say." He was adorable, the way he believed a knitted brow and a scowl could hide his true emotions. "So…" she said, as a mischievous grin spread across her face. "Wanna mess with them?"

A slight smirk graced his lips. "What did you have in mind?"

"Innocence, activate." She whispered, and in an instant her wings unfurled. Wrapping them around herself she softly said "clandestinity" and they transformed from white to translucent.

He watched as she folded those magnificent wings around her, and although she vanished before his eyes, he could still feel her presence in the room. In fact he could almost pinpoint exactly where she was standing in the room, it was as if the air which surrounded her was somehow different. "So what's the plan to get out?" He asked as he watched her move toward the door.

"Oh that's simple." She replied, impressed that he was able to follow her movements across the room. He was the first person to ever do that ever since she perfected this trick, even her father was incapable of pinpointing her exact location. Releasing the previous seal on the door, she murmured a different enchantment and applied a new seal. As she pressed her palm to the door, it visibly warped for a second before settling back to its natural state. "I walk through it."

Smirking to herself, Renge pushed her body into the door and came out the other side, to see Lavi, Daisya, and Lenalee still standing there in a perplexed daze. Deftly she made her way around them and hurried off in the direction of her room. It did not take her long to quickly change into one of her many yukatas and twist her hair up into a bun, securing it with a ornate comb as her golem folded its wings and settled down on her head next to the comb.

As he felt her presence exit the room, Kanda moved over to his door and placed a hand on it, feeling the solid wood beneath his touch. She was full of surprises, it was no wonder she was able to uncover all those despicable secrets from that dreadful place, and he could not help but wonder how much she actually saw. She had commented on Alma's massacre, she knew of the innocence chamber, she knew things that he himself did not even know, perhaps she even knew who _that woman_ was. A little part of him wanted to ask her, but it felt wrong, to ask someone he desired so badly about the one person his brain could not let go of.

A million thoughts raced through the junior Bookman's mind as he continued to stare at the closed door and process what was going on. Sure, last night Renge had said that she was going to bring him his present later, but it was now ten in the morning, what was she _still_ doing there, that is unless her present was… no. He shook his head refusing to allow that thought in. There was no way such a stunning, delightful, charming girl like that would want anything to do with that brass, arrogant, antisocial guy, no. No way in hell.

Lavi frowned. Why did it matter to him anyway? It was not like he could do anything about it, even if he wanted to. He was a Bookman, and as a Bookman he was not allowed to have relationships, connections with anyone, for it would taint his recordings and create a bias. Besides, none of these people mattered anyway, they were all simply pawns being used in a war bigger than themselves, name which would not even be significant enough to be recorded into the true history of the world. Still, he could not help but desire her, to touch her, to know her, but that would be an affront to her character since he had absolutely nothing to offer her, not even his heart.

"We should knock again." The redhead said breaking the silence.

A jingling filled the air as Daisya tossed his head back and laughed. "Go for it, though I say we just leave. It's not like there was a response the last fifty times you tried. Seems to me, our Kanda found something to pass the time with."

Lenalee let out a small sigh. As much as she agreed that they should probably just let Kanda and Renge be, she still needed the older girl's help. "We can't just leave. Renge was supposed to help me secure the alcohol for Nii-san's party."

"Why don't you just get old man Marie to do it? Renge's not even old enough to drink alcohol." Daisya quipped, bouncing from the balls of his feet to his heels.

"Because Renge's better at it."

"Renge's better at what?" An amused sing-song voice asked as it rang through the halls causing all three exorcists to snap toward the right. They stared in bewilderment as they saw Renge herself walking toward them from the stairwell.

"Wait, what!?" Lavi exclaimed, his one exposed eye enlarging, as she stopped in front of them. He was sure that she had opened the door earlier, there was no way she did not, for his photographic, Bookman memory could not have possibly failed him.

Lenalee stared at her friend in astonishment. She too was sure that Renge was inside Kanda's room just moments ago, but then again if there was one thing Renge was great at, it was stealth. It would not have been inconceivable for her to have to slipped out of the room and by them without them noticing. "Renge's better at securing alcohol." The green haired girl replied with a smile.

"True. Renge's the best as securing alcohol." She said with a slight laugh. Feigning ignorance, she cocked her head toward the door and asked, "What are you guys doing here anyway? I didn't know Kanda was coming with us."

"Uh, we were looking for you." The redheaded Bookman replied, scratching his head. He did not like it, there was no way he was wrong, or seeing things, but then again, the reality of the situation was was that she was in fact here, in front of them, and not inside the room they swore they just saw her in.

"In Kanda's room?" She asked amused.

"Well, we tried everywhere else. It was kind of a last-ditch effort sort of thing."

"Okay…" She said skeptically. It really did not make much sense to Renge why they would look for her there, granted that was where she was, but still, it was not like there was anything going on between the two of them. At least not yet, and definitely not openly.

"Where were you anyway?" Daisya asked, bouncing up to her. He liked her, but not in the way Lavi seemed to like her, and if his hunch was correct, definitely not in the way that Kanda liked her. Daisya liked her simply because she made things more interesting around these parts. Besides, the last time she was here she literally impaled Kanda with a sword, and that made him giddy.

"In my room."

"Bullshit." The hooded exorcist exclaimed accusingly. "That was the first place we checked."

"Oh? Is that so?" She asked with a cocky smile. "And how are you so sure I wasn't there? Did you enter? Because I can guarantee you, you did not."

The smile on Daisya's face wanned, it was true, they did not actually enter the room. It was entirely possible that she was in there the whole time, but then again, he was also sure that they saw her open Kanda's door. "No, the door was locked… but Lavi knocked, and screamed, like a madman. No way you didn't hear him."

"Can't hear a thing when there's an enchantment on the door." She retorted cheekily. "Anyway, why are we still here? Shouldn't we get going?"

"Yes we should." Lenalee said, giving Kanda's door one last look before linking her arm with Renge's as they made their way toward the elevator platform in the middle of the tower.

"Oi, Yuu! You coming!?" Lavi screamed, knocking on the door one last time before the took off after the group.

* * *

Kanda's glowered at the trio in front of him as he followed them off the ferry and toward the village. It bothered him more than it should have, the way there were all so friendly with Renge. He hated the way she would laugh at the random things the stupid rabbit would say, or the way her mouth curved into that mischievous grin that flashes across her face when she plotted something with that idiot jester, or that endearing smile she would flash Lenalee for no apparent reason. He wanted to believe that he was the only one in the world who could possibly make her happy, but he knew that was not the case, she was not like him, she was a bright shining light, with a smile which could illuminated the world, especially his. He wanted to steal her away, to selfishly keep her light all to himself, for she was the first and only person who had ever made that darkness which surrounded him diminish, and he did not want to share her with anyone else.

Renge smiled to herself as they entered the town, weaving their way through the streets full of people. It was so nice to be surrounded by people who were so full of life. She had been lonely for far too long and reveled in the fact that she had finally found a group of people she could rely on, laugh with, cry on, share her darkness and her light with, and wholeheartedly call her friends. It was such a stark difference from all those years she spent alone, with no one but her father and a ghost she could never grasp. Glancing behind her she took in the form of the gloomy swordsman who lagged behind the group; her ghost in flesh and blood, her ghost who used to be a fleeting image, who now stood before her in all his glorious wonder.

As they continued further into the village, Kanda growled softly to himself wondering what in the world he was doing there anyway. He had nothing to offer them on their little endeavor, he hated birthdays, and he especially hated social gatherings. The fact was, he had impulsively followed them after Lavi's invitation due to the fact that she had flashed him one of those smiles and grabbed him by the wrist. Now that he was here, he wholeheartedly regretted his decision, but that was before she had turned around and caught his eye. The smile she flashed him sent shivers down his spine and made the butterflies in his stomach flutter, it was in that moment that he knew he would follow this girl to hell and back if that was what she so desired.

* * *

 _A/n: Sorry this was basically filler and too me so long... ha. Hope you enjoyed it anyway._


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